Re: meaning of surname
in reply to a message by christiaan
I agree with all you write, and can add little else, except that the name is not extant in the Netherlands or Belgium. Paulsen is extant in the Netherlands and no doubt this is a variant, as you state.As for it being common among people of mixed race, it's seems possible that it is confined to that community. Do you have any information that would confirm or refute that opinion? I'm thinking along the lines of Paulse being a pronunciation/spelling that grew up among the "coloured" section of society, and became the preferred version, while the Name remained Paulsen among Afrikaners of European origin. What do you think?