# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2013, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/81 "2013-12-06T23:25:20Z")
Paul Hester from Crowded House 'cause his voice came over my computer speakers as I was reading this. Second would probably be McCartney. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/82 "2013-12-07T02:01:47Z")
Paul from “Paul” the Simon Pegg/Nick Frost film popped straight into my head. Then I was like, I should come up with a real person, the OP probably wants a real person. Umm…umm…St. Paul! Tons of Pauls out there, I have to think hard to come up with one. :smack: That’s how my day has been. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/83 "2013-12-07T02:44:44Z")
I’m shocked that nobody has mentioned Paul Minié-Souteau, the French missionary who was later made a saint for his work among the Native American tribes along the upper Mississippi. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/84 "2013-12-07T02:48:31Z")
[Ron Paul](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Paul). ---
**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 7, 2013, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/85 "2013-12-07T02:49:40Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’m shocked that nobody has mentioned Paul Minié-Souteau, the French missionary who was later made a saint for his work among the Native American tribes along the upper Mississippi. 🙂 Yeah. That makes as much sense as my Paul Lynde pick. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/86 "2013-12-07T02:55:35Z")
My brother and the uncle he was named for. ---
**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 7, 2013, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/87 "2013-12-07T02:57:32Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > Paul from “Paul” the Simon Pegg/Nick Frost film popped straight into my head. Then I was like, I should come up with a real person… Especially considering that Pegg’s Paul was named after a dog. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/88 "2013-12-07T02:58:43Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > My dad. Yep. _umm, mine, that is, not yours_ ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/89 "2013-12-07T04:06:19Z")
Paul McCartney ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/90 "2013-12-07T04:17:33Z")
McCartney ---
**Author:** ![Happyasaclam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7c8e57/32.png) [@Happyasaclam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happyasaclam)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/91 "2013-12-07T05:21:43Z")
My uncle and my cousin. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/92 "2013-12-07T05:26:45Z")
The Apostle. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/93 "2013-12-07T05:30:06Z")
I surprised myself in thinking of Dave’s sidekick right before the apostle. I also wonder if it’s because I remembered your previous question about Dave, since I don’t normally think about Mr. Shaffer at all. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/94 "2013-12-07T06:22:03Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > The Apostle. If you meant a different Paul, you’d have used a last name, wouldn’t you? Not necessarily. The first Paul I thought of was Jennifer of the Jungle’s gorilla friend on _The Electric Company_. I don’t believe his last name was ever given. > [@Leaffan](#): > > 🙂 Yeah. That makes as much sense as my Paul Lynde pick. 😉 Paul Lynde was the second one I thought of. I think the indexing system in my head is broken. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/95 "2013-12-07T06:25:54Z")
First came the apostle Paul because it’s his only name so far as i know, cause I’m an atheist and it wasn’t cause he was fresh from Bible studies. For similar reasons, Paul of Peter, Paul and Mary Then it’s everyone’s favorite religious figure, Saint Paul E. Girl. ---
**Author:** ![toast\_pakora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ec8ea/32.png) [@toast\_pakora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toast_pakora)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/96 "2013-12-07T11:25:24Z")
McCartney, because he’s commonly just referred to as “Paul” without a surname. But if you’re talking about the actor, you’d probably say “PaulNewman”, like it’s one word, or “Newman”. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/97 "2013-12-07T12:31:16Z")
McCartney My second thought was a boss I had for 15 years. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/98 "2013-12-07T12:34:14Z")
I first thought of Paul McCartney; then Paul, King of BIG Screens. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/99 "2013-12-07T15:06:00Z")
Paul Harvey. Good day. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694/100 "2013-12-07T15:33:14Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Paul Harvey. > > Good day. Yes! Amazing that it took this long. Revere? Prudhomme? Not one single US President! -a Poundstone -y Shore -ette Goddard [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-say-paul-whos-the-first-person-you-think-of/675694.md?page=6)