Saul | Mumsnet

KaleidoscopeDAN · 2026-06-24T17:18:14+00:00

Thoughts on Saul for a boy? We'd be pronouncing it like Paul but with an S. I do not like the sah-ool pronunciation.

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WomenAndChildrenFirst · 25/06/2026 13:39

Saul was the name that came to me when I first saw DS1 and I still love it

MiddleAgedDread · 25/06/2026 11:25

I've never heard it pronounced any other way than to Rhyme with Paul!! It's not my favourite name, it's just a bit "meh" and abrupt.

Calliopespa · 25/06/2026 08:24

SaulHudsonDavidJones · 24/06/2026 23:39

I really dislike it. It’s in my top 2 most disliked names (the other is Kane/Cain). It sounds evil.

I'm afraid I really dislike those names too.

Calliopespa · 25/06/2026 08:23

Gifteddeposit2008 · 24/06/2026 19:37

It's fine until you say 'our Saul'

This is why I stay on MN! Every so often there's a reward like this!😂

RubyPowderPuff · 25/06/2026 06:22

Zingading · 24/06/2026 23:02

I think it’s lovely. I understand what people are saying about the biblical context but then people name their children after plenty of characters from Greek and Roman mythology with pretty unpleasant stories attached to them. Daphne is turned into a tree to avoid being raped, Flora actually does get raped and Dido kills herself. It’s what the name means to you. You can’t please everyone!

I just think people should know where a name comes from, it's association and meaning.
OP can name her baby Saul, why not? Just beaware of the associations. Especially with less popular/ known names.

SaulHudsonDavidJones · 24/06/2026 23:39

I really dislike it. It’s in my top 2 most disliked names (the other is Kane/Cain). It sounds evil.

Giraffehaver · 24/06/2026 23:29

I really like Saul. If we discounted all the bad connotations from each name there would be very few left! It sounds thoughtful and kind to me

puddingandsun · 24/06/2026 23:07

I wouldn’t be bothered about the biblical namesake. I had no idea until I read the comments on here and am sure many others wouldn't know/ relate to that king (fictional character?) either. You won’t be naming your child after him. He’s just a coincidental namesake. There must have been Saul’s before him, and there sure were some after. I don’t think of biblical Eve when I hear Eve. You just take the child for who they are.

It’s a lovely name. Not common but known. It’s fresh and cool to me. Go for it.

OrdinaryGirl · 24/06/2026 23:03

Saul is a gorgeous name! Hebrew origin, meaning ‘asked for’ or ‘prayed for’ ❤️

Hmm famous Sauls not yet mentioned… Canadian-American writer Saul Bellow won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1976.

I wouldn’t be put off by the fact that the Sauls of the Old and New Testaments were not entirely Captain America type heroes. Most people won’t know or care about this connection.

Zingading · 24/06/2026 23:02

I think it’s lovely. I understand what people are saying about the biblical context but then people name their children after plenty of characters from Greek and Roman mythology with pretty unpleasant stories attached to them. Daphne is turned into a tree to avoid being raped, Flora actually does get raped and Dido kills herself. It’s what the name means to you. You can’t please everyone!

HorribleHisTories15 · 24/06/2026 22:55

Agree with @RubyPowderPuff, who explains King Saul’s acts in the Old Testament. Let’s not forget that King Saul then went on to hunt David. Yes David who defeated Goliath, and made David basically have a mental breakdown (in today’s terms). King Saul did have a son named Jonathan ❤️, which means faithful friend, and he truly was a faithful friend to David until the end of his life.

HorribleHisTories15 · 24/06/2026 22:49

Biblically a very heavy name. You might be and might not be fully familiar with the OT story.

Excellentsausages · 24/06/2026 22:06

lavendervibes · 24/06/2026 18:24

I like the name but you are setting the kid up for a lifetime of mispronunciation as how you are suggesting is not how it’s commonly pronounced.

I don't think that true? The only Sauls I've known have been Mexican, so I am more familiar with the Sa-ool pronunciation, but it's well-known that it rhymes with Paul in English.

I don't like the name- meanings or historical/biblical namesakes don't bother me at all, I just don't like the sound (I don't like Paul either). But if you like it OP, I wouldn't be put off by the biblical character, there are plenty of Delilahs etc.

TeaSet · 24/06/2026 22:04

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CoddledAsAMommet · 24/06/2026 22:00

I like the sound, but would assume you didn't know of Saul/Paul and that when he was Saul he was quite the baddie.

It's like calling your child Cain or Delilah... Just not great connotations.

ButtercupYellow26 · 24/06/2026 21:50

Saul became Paul.
You won't find many Paul's in today's classes.

JustGiveMeReason · 24/06/2026 21:33

lavendervibes · 24/06/2026 18:24

I like the name but you are setting the kid up for a lifetime of mispronunciation as how you are suggesting is not how it’s commonly pronounced.

I don't know where you live, but, like everyone else on this thread, I've never heard Saul pronounced any way other than to rhyme with Paul.

I quite like it @KaleidoscopeDAN

JustGiveMeReason · 24/06/2026 21:32

It's fine until you say 'our Saul'

Fine as long as your surname isn't Goodman.

MrsApplepants · 24/06/2026 21:02

Better call …

Deadringer · 24/06/2026 20:57

Fine as long as your surname isn't Goodman.

PurpleLovecats · 24/06/2026 20:42

I love it.

mamaduckbone · 24/06/2026 20:26

I taught a Saul once (rhymed with Paul) and he was a really lovely lad so I have only positive connotations.

TheSandgroper · 24/06/2026 20:15

Saul Eslake is very prominent down our way. You can Google him.

Gifteddeposit2008 · 24/06/2026 19:37

It's fine until you say 'our Saul'

barofsoap · 24/06/2026 19:33

Saul is pronounced like Paul in the UK - do you want to name your child after a baddy? just call him Paul instead