Paw Paw is a community in south central Sullivan County, in the U.S. state of Missouri, which the GNIS classifies as a populated place.
The community is located approximately one third mile north of Paw Paw Creek, approximately 7.5miles south-southeast of Milan and 6miles northeast of Browning.[1]
The name was sometimes spelled "Pawpaw". A post office called Pawpaw was established in 1899 and remained in operation until 1905.[2] The community most likely was so named because of the paw paw thickets near the original town site.[3]