Paschal
Masculine · “Of Easter”
Paschal is a name for a boy born around Easter, from the old word for the feast. In most of Europe, Easter is still called by a name that comes from Passover, and the church lights a paschal candle from a new fire.
How old is the name Paschal?
Paschal first appears in US birth records in 1902 — 123 years ago. The typical Paschal alive today was born around 1933, making them about 92 years old. About 200 people named Paschal are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Paschal most popular?
Paschal peaked in 1902, reaching #1137 nationally. See the whole 1902 chart.
Where it comes from
From Pesach to Paschal
The story of Paschal
At the Easter Vigil, a new fire is kindled outside a dark church, and from it the paschal candle is lit and carried in, marked with a cross, the Greek letters alpha and omega and the numbers of the year. The word is the one most of Europe uses for the feast: French Pâques, Spanish Pascua, Italian Pasqua and Welsh Pasg all come through Greek pascha from Pesach, Passover, and English and German, with Easter and Ostern, are among the few exceptions. Paschal was given to boys born around the feast.
Meaning
'Of Easter', from Latin paschalis
Paschal comes from Latin paschalis, from Greek pascha, from the Hebrew Pesach, 'Passover'.
How the name formed
- Pesach
- pascha
- Paschal
Related forms: Pascal · Pasquale · Pascual
Pronouncing Paschal
PAS-kul
Two syllables with the stress on the first.
Nicknames for Paschal
Limited
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1902
- Most boys named
- 192621 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1137reached in 1902
- Change vs 2021
- −28.6%5 in 2024, from 7
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Paschal in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Pascal in French — same name
- Pasquale in Italian — same name
- Pascual in Spanish — same name
Paschals among us
people named Paschal are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Paschal sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- A settled meaning tied to a great feast.
- Close to Pascal, a name people know.
- Almost certain to be the only one.
- People will write Pascal.
- Its religious meaning is clear to anyone who knows the word.
- It reads as an older name.
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Paschal
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Paschals are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 200 people named Paschal are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Paschal in 2025?
- Paschal is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Paschal with classmates?
- Paschal will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More P names
The most-given names starting with P, all years combined.
Paul#262 · Patrick#235 · Peter#187 · Philip#527 · Phillip#651 · Parker#102 · Preston#299 · Pedro#455
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Paschal? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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