Pavel
A masculine name of Slavic origin meaning "small" or "humble".
Name Census estimates that about 1,486 living Americans carry the first name Pavel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Pavel today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pavel births was 2008 (83 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pavel. 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
1.5K
~ 1 in 230,656 Americans
Peak year
2008
83 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,308
Tracked since 1971
Popularity
Pavel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Pavel from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 599 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Pavel 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 Pavel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Pavels live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. California, Washington, New York recorded the most babies named Pavel, while Ohio, Illinois, Oregon recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 68 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Pavel
Pavel is a masculine given name derived from the Latin name Paulus, which means "small" or "humble" and is the origin of names like Paul and Pablo. The name first appeared in the Slavic languages, particularly Russian, and has been in use since at least the 10th century.
In the Cyrillic alphabet, the name is written as ??????????. It became popular in Eastern Europe and Russia due to the influence of Christianity and the spread of the name through biblical figures like St. Paul the Apostle. Over time, it evolved into various forms in different Slavic languages, such as Pavel in Russian, Polish, and Czech, Pavle in Serbian and Croatian, and Pavol in Slovak.
The earliest recorded example of the name Pavel is found in the Primary Chronicle, an early East Slavic chronicle dating back to the 12th century. It mentions a Prince Pavel, who was the son of Prince Svyatoslav I of Kiev.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Pavel. One of the earliest was Pavel Florinsky (1619-1699), a Russian mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of Russian science.
Another famous Pavel was Pavel Nakhimov (1802-1855), a Russian naval commander who played a crucial role in the Crimean War and is considered one of the greatest naval heroes in Russian history.
In the arts, Pavel Tretyakov (1832-1898) was a Russian businessman and art collector who founded the Tretyakov Gallery, one of the world's largest and most renowned collections of Russian art.
In the 20th century, Pavel Filonov (1883-1941) was a Russian avant-garde painter known for his unique style and philosophical approach to art.
More recently, Pavel Bure (born 1971) is a former Russian professional ice hockey player who was one of the most prolific goal scorers in the NHL during the 1990s and is considered one of the greatest Russian players in the history of the league.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals who have carried the name Pavel throughout history, reflecting its enduring presence and significance in various cultures and fields.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Pavel
People
Pavel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pavel 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
Pavel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pavel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,486 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pavel 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 230,656 US residents.
Is Pavel a common name?
We classify Pavel as "Rare". It ranks above 92.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,507 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pavel most popular?
The single biggest year for Pavel was 2008, when 83 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pavel is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Pavel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Pavel 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.