This article was originally published in the December 2000 edition of Soul Search, the journal of The Sole Society.

Some while ago we asked whether anyone had any information on German Sauls. Don Steel has provided the following response, and although he has no specific information, his comments on the origin of the name are of interest:

"I do not know anything about German Sauls. They are probably not Jewish as the normal Jewish forms derived from Saul are Shaul, Shauli, Shauly and Russian Jewish Shaulsky (presumably a Russianisation from Shauli).

Other Jewish Eastern European forms derived from Saul are Shaulick, Shaulson, Shaulov and Shauloff. These are all from Hanks and Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames which is international. But apart from saying French, German and Italian surnames are derived from Saul it does not add any detail. It goes to town about King Saul and we now know almost for sure that none of the English families take their name from him. So it is possible the German ones could have a different root too."

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