Pascha
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "Easter" or "Passover".
Name Census estimates that about 193 living Americans carry the first name Pascha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Pascha today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pascha births was 1973 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pascha. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
193
~ 1 in 1,775,929 Americans
Peak year
1973
27 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
1986 SSA rank
#9,281
Tracked since 1969
Popularity
Pascha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Pascha from the 1960s through to the 1980s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 191 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Pascha by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Pascha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Paschas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Pascha
The name Pascha finds its roots in the Greek Pascha, which is derived from the Aramaic pasha and ultimately from the Hebrew pesach, meaning "Passover". The name is associated with the Jewish festival of Passover, a celebration commemorating the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt as described in the Book of Exodus.
In early Christianity, the term Pascha was adopted to refer to the festival of Easter, which coincides with the Jewish Passover. As a result, the name Pascha became a popular name among early Christians, particularly in the Eastern Orthodox and Greek Orthodox traditions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pascha can be found in the writings of the Church Fathers, such as St. John Chrysostom (c. 349-407 AD), who frequently used the term in his sermons and writings about the Paschal celebration. Another early reference is found in the works of St. Athanasius (c. 296-373 AD), the 20th bishop of Alexandria, who wrote extensively about the paschal feast.
Throughout history, several notable individuals bore the name Pascha. One such person was Pascha I (c. 660-692 AD), the 67th Pope of the Catholic Church, who served from 687 to 692 AD. Another was Pascha II (c. 1050-1118 AD), the 164th Pope, who reigned from 1099 to 1118 AD.
In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, there was Pascha of Vratsa (c. 1345-1389 AD), a Bulgarian monk and writer who composed several works on monastic life and spirituality. Another notable bearer of the name was Pascha of Lesbos (c. 1390-1460 AD), a Greek Orthodox monk and poet who wrote several religious hymns and poems.
Additionally, there was Pascha of Bulgaria (c. 1450-1520 AD), a Bulgarian Orthodox clergyman and scholar who played a significant role in the cultural and religious life of the Bulgarian people during the Ottoman rule.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the name Pascha, reflecting its deep roots in religious and cultural traditions, particularly those of Eastern Christianity and the Orthodox faith.
People
Pascha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pascha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Pascha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pascha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 193 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pascha going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,775,929 US residents.
Is Pascha a common name?
We classify Pascha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 214 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pascha most popular?
The single biggest year for Pascha was 1973, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pascha is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Pascha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Pascha in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.