Paulinus as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Paulinus

What is the meaning of the name Paulinus ?

The baby name Paulinus is a Male name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced English common: paw-LY-nus ( /pɔːˈlaɪnəs/ ),English alt: paw-LEE-nus ( /pɔːˈliːnəs/ ),Classical Latin: pau-LEE-nus ( /pauˈliː.nus/ ).

Paulinus is Latin in Origin.

Paulinus is a Late Latin masculine name formed from Paulus (“small, humble”) with the adjectival suffix -inus, meaning “of Paul” or “little Paul.” In Roman naming, -inus created cognomina and gentilics, so Paulinus signaled connection to the Pauline family or a diminutive, carrying overtones of modesty and devotion.

Usage flourished in late antiquity and the early medieval church, borne by figures such as Saint Paulinus of Nola, Paulinus of Trier, Paulinus of Aquileia, and Paulinus of York. Through ecclesiastical Latin it spread across Europe, often as a learned or monastic form, later yielding vernaculars and surnames. Variants and related forms include Paulin (French, Slavic), Paolino (Italian), Paulino (Spanish, Portuguese), Pavlin (South Slavic), and the feminines Paulina/Pauline/Paolina; Paul is the common English cognate. Today Paulinus remains rare outside clerical and scholarly circles, prized for its patristic resonance and humble meaning.