Percival
From Old French origins, meaning "pierce the veil" or "pierce the valley".
Name Census estimates that about 862 living Americans carry the first name Percival. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Percival today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Percival births was 2024 (93 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Percival. 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
862
~ 1 in 397,627 Americans
Peak year
2024
93 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,768
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Percival: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Percival from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 299 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Percival 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 Percival during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Percivals live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. Texas, California, New York recorded the most babies named Percival, while Tennessee, North Carolina, Wisconsin recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 10 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Percival
The name Percival is derived from the Old French words "perc" and "val", meaning "valley" and "pierce" respectively. It is believed to have originated in the 12th century, during the time of the Crusades and the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
Percival was the name of one of the Knights of the Round Table in Arthurian legends, known for his pure heart and his quest for the Holy Grail. This legendary figure was first mentioned in the 12th century French romance "Perceval, le Conte du Graal" by Chrétien de Troyes.
The name Percival gained popularity in England during the Middle Ages, as the Arthurian legends spread across Europe. It was often associated with ideals of chivalry, honor, and purity. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was Percival de Somery, an English nobleman who lived in the 13th century.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the name Percival. One of the most famous was Sir Percival Willoughby (1596-1643), an English soldier and parliamentarian who fought in the English Civil War. Another prominent figure was Percival Lowell (1855-1916), an American businessman and astronomer who predicted the existence of the planet Pluto.
Other notable individuals named Percival include Percival Christopher Wren (1875-1941), a British writer and educator known for his children's books; Percival Everett (born 1956), an American writer and academic; and Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, a sports venue in Montreal, Canada, named after Percival Molson (1880-1917), a Canadian businessman and military officer.
While the name Percival fell out of popularity in the 20th century, it has seen a resurgence in recent years, perhaps due to its connection to the Arthurian legends and its unique, distinctive sound. It continues to evoke a sense of tradition, honor, and literary romanticism.
People
Percival + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Percival 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
Percival: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Percival?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 862 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Percival 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 397,627 US residents.
Is Percival a common name?
We classify Percival as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,353 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Percival most popular?
The single biggest year for Percival was 2024, when 93 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Percival is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Percival a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Percival 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.