# When I say "Paul" who's the first person you think of? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 6, 2013, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694 "2013-12-06T18:18:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2013, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/21 "2013-12-06T18:51:18Z")
McCartney, followed by the religious huckster. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2013, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/22 "2013-12-06T18:52:27Z")
Paul the Apostle is definitely my first association. My second is “Pol” - a friend who goes by Pollux (neither is his real name), but everyone shortens it. It’s complicated. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2013, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/23 "2013-12-06T18:54:16Z")
Muad’Dib. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2013, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/24 "2013-12-06T18:58:00Z")
Mccartney ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2013, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/25 "2013-12-06T18:58:02Z")
Paul Simon. ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2013, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/26 "2013-12-06T19:02:57Z")
That guy in the Bible who used to be “Saul.” ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2013, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/27 "2013-12-06T19:06:03Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > McCartney. Oddly enough, the second one I thought of was Paul Molitor. I have no idea why. ---
**Author:** ![Heropsychodreamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Heropsychodreamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heropsychodreamer)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2013, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/28 "2013-12-06T19:09:27Z")
The obvious answer is McCarthy, but for wahtever reason, the first name that came to me was Paul Reiser. I am not even a fan of his and didn’t particular care for that show Mad About You (it was just OK, I guess). ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2013, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/29 "2013-12-06T19:09:38Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Oddly enough, the second one I thought of was Paul Molitor. I have no idea why. Blast from the past. ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2013, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/30 "2013-12-06T19:10:02Z")
McCartney ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2013, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/31 "2013-12-06T19:14:00Z")
St. Paul Then my Uncle Paul (who disappeared in a mysterious way) Then Paul McCartney ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2013, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/32 "2013-12-06T19:19:48Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > That guy in the Bible who used to be “Saul.” Paul of Tarsus was my #2. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2013, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/33 "2013-12-06T19:20:38Z")
> [@Heropsychodreamer](#): > > The obvious answer is McCarthy, but for wahtever reason, the first name that came to me was Paul Reiser. I am not even a fan of his and didn’t particular care for that show Mad About You (it was just OK, I guess). I was close to that one with Paul Rudd because [that Yahoo! piece](http://screen.yahoo.com/snl-hosts-skits/paul-rudd-monologue-000000726.html) had his picture (and name) featured. Other Pauls I can think of offhand without doing a Google hunt: Paul Sorvino Paul Robeson Paul Horn Paul Scofield Paul Desmond Les Paul Paul Douglas and I will stop my list because I just thought of Paul Finebaum and I fear that if I keep trying to think of others I might just drop dead! ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2013, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/34 "2013-12-06T19:23:59Z")
McCartney, with an [alien](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1092026/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) coming in a close 2nd. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2013, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/35 "2013-12-06T19:28:17Z")
The righteous Bible dude ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2013, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/36 "2013-12-06T19:29:23Z")
The Apostle; maybe because that was his whole name. And then the Beetle. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2013, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/37 "2013-12-06T19:31:05Z")
The giant lumberjack with the dyed ox, obviously. ---
**Author:** ![Rollo\_Tomasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/58956e/32.png) [@Rollo\_Tomasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rollo_Tomasi)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2013, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/38 "2013-12-06T19:39:35Z")
Like “Dave,” “Paul” makes me think of a movie first, not a person. The one with Simon Pegg, in this case. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2013, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/39 "2013-12-06T19:40:29Z")
the apostle ---
**Author:** ![MostlyClueless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@MostlyClueless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MostlyClueless)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2013, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/40 "2013-12-06T19:43:01Z")
The Beatle. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694.md?page=3)