Surname Pauwen - Meaning and Origin

Pauwen: What does the surname Pauwen mean?

The last name Pauwen is Dutch in origin. The Pauwen family is believed to have originated in the province of Holland in the Netherlands. The family name is derived from the Dutch word "pauw", which means “peacock”. This indicates that the family descended from a person nicknamed “peacock” or “pauw”. It is also possible that the family was named Pauwen due to their place of origin or because some ancestor of the family had worked with peacock feathers.

The name Pauwen also has variants such as Pauwa, Pauwe, Pauw, Paulen, and Pauleen. This suggests that the family may have stayed in the same area for a long time, and underwent several spelling variations. It is commonly believed that the name Pauwen was exclusive to one family in Holland, but today is also found in other countries like America, Canada, South Africa, and New Zealand due to international migrations.

The first registered instance of the Pauwen name dates back to 1329 in the Dutch city of Oss, when a man called Willem Pauwa was listed as a citizen of the city. He is believed to be the ancestor of all Pauwen worldwide.

Today, the Pauwen surname is not a very common one. However, it is still alive in several countries, thanks to the efforts of its original founders and their descendants who have kept the name alive through various migrations.

Pauwen: Where does the name Pauwen come from?

The last name Pauwen is most commonly found today in the Netherlands, with some minor presence in Germany, Belgium, and Luxembourg. According to open archives, Pauwen was most populous in the 19th century in a region of northern Limburg in the Netherlands. In 2020, around 900 people in Netherlands have the last name Pauwen.

The origin of the name is most likely derived from the word “pavanne”, which is a processional dance of the late Middle Ages, and was often performed in processions demonstrating civic wealth and power.

The name is documented in the Netherlands as early as the late 1400s. The first known recorded reference to the name can be found in a book ‘John Pauwen of N:’ from 1485. Over the centuries, Pauwen families spread into other Dutch provinces, as well as into Germany and neighboring countries with Dutch presence.

In more recent years, works like the 1924 novel ‘Waar Bloeit de Pauwen?’ (‘Where does the Pauwen bloom?’) have popularized the Pauwen name. The novel tells the story of a young man from the Pauwen family who moves to Amsterdam in search of a better life. With Pauwen’s smaller family size, it is likely that the majority of Pauwen’s in Netherlands today share similar family ancestry.

Variations of the surname Pauwen

The surname Pauwen is an originating Ancient German name and can have multiple variations in spelling. Common variations in spelling of the name Pauwen are: Paum, Pauhm, Pauham, Pauam, Pauan, Pauhen, Pawen, Pawhm, Pawham, Pawan and Pawhen.

In the Netherlands, the surname has been mostly known as Pauwen. This name has two different origins. The first is of geographical origin, where someone could have taken this name from a small farmstead in the province of Groningen, with the name Pauwen, first mentioned around 1325. The second origin is from the surname Pauwen (Strongman), and is found in the Dutch language. This small farmstead was named after the Strongman.

Variations of the surname Pauwen include: Pau, Paul, Pauvan, Pavlen, Pol, Polen, Paulin, Paulette, Pawl, Paulsen, Paulson, Palm, Paume, Palenske, Pauw, Pawel, Paulich and Pawlik.

The surname Pauwen is found all over the world, with large numbers of people bearing the name in the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and the USA. Other countries with smaller populations of Pauwen include Britain, Norway, France, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

In Germany, the surname of Pauwen is sometimes spelled Pawan. In Germany, the surname Pawan is mainly found in Bavaria and in the Rhineland region. Other German variations of the name include: Pavel, Pawlas, Pauler, Palz, Palzer and Pauz.

The Polish spelling of the name Pauwen is Pawen, and it is often found in the area of Silesia. Other Polish spellings can include Pawłen and Paułen.

In the United States, the combination of Christopher Pauwen has been a popular name as Christopher Henry Pauwen, Christopher Arthur Pauwen, Christopher Everett Pauwen and Christopher John Pauwen.

Famous people with the name Pauwen

• Joost Pauwen: Joost Pauwen is an artist from the Netherlands. He paints abstract interiors and is known for his use of strong colors.
• Robert Pauwen: Robert Pauwen is a Dutch engineer and artist. He has a special focus on the use of 3D printing in his creative projects.
• Jaap Pauwen: Jaap Pauwen is a Dutch designer and sculptor known for his innovative furniture designs.
• Jannetje Pauwen: Jannetje Pauwen was a Dutch writer and poet from the 18th century.
• Max Pauwen: Max Pauwen was a Dutch actor who worked in both film and television in the 1920s.
• Willem Pauwen: Willem Pauwen is a Dutch contemporary artist creating abstract sculptures from recycled found objects.
• Juri Pauwen: Juri Pauwen is a Dutch musician and composer of contemporary classical music.
• Peter Pauwen: Peter Pauwen is a Dutch illustrator known for his fantastical, whimsical artworks.

Other surnames

PauwelPauwels