Paschal
Of Greek origin, relating to or celebrating Easter or the Passover.
Name Census estimates that about 196 living Americans carry the first name Paschal. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Paschal today is around 62 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Paschal births was 1926 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Paschal. 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
196
~ 1 in 1,748,747 Americans
Peak year
1926
21 babies that year
Average age
62
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,683
Tracked since 1902
Popularity
Paschal: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Paschal from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 149 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Paschal 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 Paschal during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Paschals live
Origin
Meaning and history of Paschal
Paschal is a given name with roots tracing back to ancient Aramaic and Greek origins. The name is derived from the Aramaic word "pashha", which means "Passover", and the Greek "pascha", meaning "Easter". This connection to religious observances points to the name's early associations with Christianity.
The name first appeared in historical records around the 3rd century AD, when it was borne by several early Christian saints and martyrs. One of the earliest known bearers was Saint Paschal, a deacon from Rome who was martyred around 292 AD during the reign of Emperor Diocletian. Another early figure was Saint Paschal I, who served as Pope from 817 to 824 AD.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name saw widespread use across Europe, particularly in regions with strong Christian traditions. Notable figures from this period include Paschal II (c. 1050–1118), who served as Pope from 1099 to 1118 and is remembered for his conflicts with Holy Roman Emperor Henry V. Another prominent bearer was Paschal of Viterbo (c. 1155–1199), an Italian philosopher and theologian.
During the Renaissance period, the name continued to be popular, with several individuals leaving their mark on history. One such figure was Paschal Baylón (1540–1592), a Spanish friar and mystic who was later canonized as a saint in the Catholic Church. Another notable bearer was Paschal Broet (1500–1562), a French Jesuit priest and one of the founding members of the Society of Jesus.
In more recent centuries, the name has maintained its presence, although its usage has been less widespread. Some notable modern bearers include Paschal Grousset (1844–1909), a French journalist and politician who was a leading figure in the Paris Commune of 1871, and Paschal Mallon (1892–1967), an Irish politician who served as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs in the 1940s.
Throughout its long history, the name Paschal has been borne by saints, popes, philosophers, and other influential figures, reflecting its religious and cultural significance across various regions and eras.
People
Paschal + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Paschal 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
Paschal: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Paschal?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 196 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Paschal 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 1,748,747 US residents.
Is Paschal a common name?
We classify Paschal as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 592 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Paschal most popular?
The single biggest year for Paschal was 1926, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Paschal is about 62 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Paschal a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Paschal in the SSA data are male. 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.