Before we answer that, I am glad that you suggest that it was Saul himself who changed his name to Paul, for many believe the Lord changed his name as he had done to Simon in John 1:42 and Matthew 16:17-18, “Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, ‘You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, a Stone)…Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona…and I also say to you that you are Peter’” (NKJV). The names Cephas and Peter both mean “a STONE.” It is the Greek word “petros” which speaks either of a stone or loose rock. Jesus knew Simon’s character would change from being somewhat unstable to that of being “firm as a rock/stone.” But we don’t have any passages in Scripture where we see the Lord changing Saul’s name to Paul.

The change from Saul to Paul is seen in Acts chapter 13. In verse 1 Saul is seen fasting and praying along with others and in verse 2 we read, “As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Now separate to Me Barnabas and SAUL for the work to which I have called them.’” Barnabas and Saul were then sent on a missionary journey to various places (verses 4-5) and when they arrived at the island Paphos (verse 6) we read that a sorcerer named Elymas “withstood them” (verse 8). Verses 9-10 go on to say, “Then SAUL, who also is called PAUL, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, ‘O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil. You enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?’” From that point on he was called PAUL (except for times when he gave accounts of his conversion on the Damascus Road when he was still known as SAUL).

Was it Paul himself that changed his name? It would seem so, and some believe he had the dual name of “Saul Paulus” and decided to call himself Paul which would have been his “Roman name” while Saul was his “Jewish name.” They believe he thought his Roman name would give him more opportunities to witness throughout the Roman Empire as the “Apostle to the Gentiles” (see Acts 9:15 with Galatians 2:7-9; Ephesians 3:1-8). That may be, but there is another thought that is very appealing which has to do with the meaning of the name Paul. “Paul” means “little” and we know that Paul (who once thought highly of himself…see Philippians 3:3-6) was a very humble man who thought of himself as “little” in comparison to others. In Ephesians 3:8 we read, “To me, who am LESS THAN THE LEAST OF ALL SAINTS” and in 1 Corinthians 15:9 he declares, “for I am THE LEAST OF THE APOSTLES, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” And because Paul looked at himself in this way, God was able to use him mightily for God can only use those who “empty themselves” so He can “fill them with His power” as we see in 2 Corinthians 4:7, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.”

Going back to Acts chapter 13 we read in verse 12, “Now when Paul and HIS PARTY set sail from Paphos.” At the beginning of the missionary journey, we read of “Barnabas and Saul” and now it is “Paul and his company.” Paul is now in a position of LEADERSHIP. One commentator on this verse says, “There is a designed connection, we think, between the change of name and the change of position. He who was LITTLE becomes the LEADER” (F. B. Hole). Because Paul was humble and dependent on God alone in his service, God would turn this “LITTLE man” into a “great LEADER.” Paul could go on in 1 Corinthians 15:10 and say, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” We who are saved by the grace of God should have the same mindset, for if we are humble and think little of ourselves, God can surely use us by His grace to bring glory to Him and blessing to others.  (DO)  (661.5)