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Paulus van Caerden (c. 1569 – Manila, October 1615 or 1616) was a Dutch admiral in service of the Dutch East India Company. He was governor of the Maluku Islands for one month.
In 1595 Van Caerden served as midshipman on the first expedition to the East Indies under command of Cornelis de Houtman. When the expedition returned to Amsterdam, only 89 to 94 of the original 248 crewmembers were still alive. Eight more crewmembers died once ashore. The expedition had not been a commercial success. The Compagnie van Verre could hardly cover the costs, but the goal of the expedition was reached; it was proven that it was possible to reach Asia by way of the Cape of Good Hope without being hindered by the Portuguese.
On 21 December 1599, Pieter Both, with Van Caerden as vice-admiral, led an expedition commissioned by the Brabantsche Compagnie, founded by Isaac le Maire, to the East Indies. In 1600 the four ships arrived in the Indonesian Archipelago. Pieter Both sailed to Bantam, while Van Caerden unsuccessfully attempted to establish trading relations with Aceh, in the northern parts of Sumatra.
On 8 July 1601 Van Caerden discovered the Mossel Bay in South Africa. The mussels found there were a welcome addition to the crew's diet. The Verendigde Landen and Hof van Holland returned to Holland in November 1601. From 1603 to 1605 Van Caerden made a journey to Brazil with six ships.