Pascal is a masculine and feminine

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

. It is a

Francophone The Francophonie or Francophone world is the whole body of people and organisations around the world who use the French language regularly for private or public purposes. The term was coined by Onésime Reclus in 1880 and became important a ...

name, cognate of Italian name Pasquale, Spanish name Pascual, Catalan name Pasqual and Portuguese name Pascoal. ''Pascal'' is common in French-speaking countries, Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands. Derived feminine forms include ''Pascale'', ''Pascalle'' or ''Pascalina''. Pascal is also common as a

surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, and in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

(in

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

Aosta Valley The Aosta Valley ( ; ; ; or ), officially the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley, is a mountainous Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region in northwestern Italy. It is bordered by Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Fr ...

and, as ''De Pascal'', in

Friuli-Venezia Giulia Friuli-Venezia Giulia () is one of the 20 regions of Italy and one of five autonomous regions with special statute. The regional capital is Trieste on the Gulf of Trieste, a bay of the Adriatic Sea. Friuli-Venezia Giulia has an area of and a ...

). Pascal derives from the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

''paschalis'' or ''pashalis'', which means "relating to

Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...

", from the Latin term for "Easter", ''pascha'',

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

Πάσχα, from the

Aramaic Aramaic (; ) is a Northwest Semitic language that originated in the ancient region of Syria and quickly spread to Mesopotamia, the southern Levant, Sinai, southeastern Anatolia, and Eastern Arabia, where it has been continually written a ...

''pasḥā'' (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

''pesach'') "

Passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday and one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. It celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Biblical Egypt, Egypt. According to the Book of Exodus, God in ...

" (since the Jewish holiday Passover coincides closely with the later Christian holiday of Easter, the Latin word came to be used for both occasions). The Christian given name originally derives from the meaning "one born on Easter day", or "born on

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting is used) after Easter Day, Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spiri ...

" (see below). Variations of the given name include:

Paschal Paschal is used as a name. Paschal, a variant of Pascal, from Latin ''Paschalis'', is an adjective describing either the Easter or Passover holidays. People known as Paschal include: Popes and religious figures * Antipope Paschal (687), a ri ...

, Pasqual, Pasquale,

Paskal Paskal or Paškal is a masculine given name which may refer to: * Paškal Jukić (1748-1806), preacher, musician, and professor of philosophy from what is now Croatia * Paskal Milo (born 1949), Albanian historian, politician and leader of the So ...

, Pascoal,

Pascale Pascale is a common Francophone given name, the feminine of the name Pascal. The same spelling is also an Italian form of the masculine name ''Pascal'', and an Italian surname derived from the given name. Pascale derives from the Latin ''pas ...

, Pascha, Paschalis, Pascual,

Pascoe Pascoe is a Cornish given name and surname which means "Easter children" from the Cornish language ''Pask'', cognate of Latin ''Pascha'' ("Easter"). Pascoe is a Cornish pet form of the name Pascal, introduced by the Norman knights into Englan ...

, and Pasco. The name arises in the early medieval period, in Latin spelled ''Paschalis''. An early bearer is Antipope Paschal (

fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...

687), and

Pope Paschal I Pope Paschal I (; died 824) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 25 January 817 to his death in 824. Paschal was a member of an aristocratic Roman family. Before his election to the papacy, he was abbot of St. Stephen's monas ...

(d. 824). A variant Latin form of the name is ''Paschasius''; this is the name of the 9th-century Frankish saint

Paschasius Radbertus Paschasius Radbertus (785–865) was a Carolingian theologian and the abbot of Corbie, a monastery in Picardy founded in 657 or 660 by the queen regent Bathilde with a founding community of monks from Luxeuil Abbey. His most well-known and inf ...

. Peter Pascual (''Petrus Paschasius'', d. 1299) was a bishop and martyr of medieval Andalusia. ''Saint Pascal'' (or ''San Pasqual'') refers to Paschal Baylon (1540–1592), a Spanish friar and mystic. Baylon was born on 24 May 1540 to Aragonese peasants. His parents named him ''Pasqual'' because he was born on the day of the feast of

(not Easter), because Pentecost in Spain was known as "the Pasch (or Passover) of the Holy Ghost" at the time.Staniforth, Oswald. "St. Pascal Baylon." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 191

After Pascual Baylon's beatification (1618) and canonization (1690), it became common to give the name ''Pascal'' to children born on the feast day of Saint Pascal (17 May) rather than on Easter or Pentecost, or independently of the child's date of birth.

People

Pascal Bentoiu Pascal Bentoiu (22 April 1927 – 21 February 2016) was a Romanian modernist composer. Life and career Bentoiu studied harmony, counterpoint and Musical composition, composition with Mihail Jora and piano with Theophil Demetriescu. He spen ...

(1927–2016), Romanian modernist composer * Pascal Brendel (born 2003), German gymnast * Pascal Broulis (born 1965), Swiss politician * Pascal Caffet (born 1962), French pastry confectioner and chocolate maker¨ * Pascal Charbonneau (born 1983), Canadian chess Grandmaster and financial analyst * Pascal Chimbonda (born 1979), French footballer *

Pascal Couchepin Pascal Couchepin (born 5 April 1942) is a Swiss politician who served as a Member of the Swiss Federal Council from 1998 to 2009. A member of the Free Democratic Party (FDP/PRD), he was President of the Swiss Confederation twice, in 2003 and 2008 ...

(born 1942), Swiss politician * Pascal Covici (1885–1964), Romanian Jewish-American book publisher and editor * Pascal Cygan (born 1974), French retired footballer * Pascal Dozie (1939–2025), Nigerian entrepreneur and businessman *

Pascal Groß Pascal Alexander Groß ( born 15 June 1991) is a German professional association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder or full-back (association football), full-back for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the Germany national football ...

(born 1991), German professional footballer *

Pascal Gygax Pascal Mark Gygax, born in Evilard/Leubringen (Bern), is a Swiss psycholinguist, specializing in inclusive language in French. He is the cofounder and director of the Psycholinguistics and Applied Social Psychology Group at the University of ...

(born 1974), Swiss psycholinguist * Pascal Hervé (1964–2024), French cyclist * Pascal Hitzler, German-American computer scientist * Pascal Köpke (born 1995), German footballer *

Pascal Langdale Pascal Langlois, better known as Pascal Langdale, is an English actor. He has played supporting roles in a number of television dramas since 1999. Langdale also lent his voice and likeness to the critically acclaimed video game '' Heavy Rain'', ...

(born 1973), English actor *

Pascal Lecamp Pascal Lecamp (born 6 April 1958) is a French politician from the Democratic Movement (France), Democratic Movement who has been representing Vienne's 3rd constituency in the National Assembly (France), National Assembly since 2022 French legisla ...

(born 1958), French politician *

Pascal Leddin Pascal Leddin (born 1999 in Uelzen) is a German politician from Alliance 90/The Greens. He was elected to the Landtag of Lower Saxony in the 2022 Lower Saxony state election. At the age of 23 he became the Baby of the House, youngest member of the ...

(born 1999), German politician *

Pascal Légitimus Pascal Légitimus (born 13 March 1959) is a French actor, comedian and theatre director. He is a member of the well-known French comedy band Les Inconnus. Personal life He is the son of an Armenian theater seamstress, Madeleine Kambourian, and ...

(born 1959), French actor, comedian and theatre director *

Pascal Obispo Pascal Michel Obispo (; born 8 January 1965) is a French pop and rock singer, music producer and songwriter. Early life Pascal Obispo, son of Max Obispo (a former Bordeaux Girondins football player of Basque origin) and Nicole Guérin (origin ...

(born 1965), French singer-songwriter *

Pascal Olmeta Pascal Olmeta (born 7 April 1961) is a French former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Marseille and Lyon in the 1990s. Early and personal life Pascal Olmeta was born on 7 April 1961 in Bastia Bastia ( , , , ; ) is a c ...

(born 1961), French former football goalkeeper * Pascal Payet (born 1963), French murderer noted for his prison escapes * Pascal Pia, French writer, journalist, illustrator and scholar born Pierre Durand (1903–1979) * (1954–2006), French voice actor * Pascal Rheaume (born 1973), Canadian ice hockey player in the National Hockey League * Pascal Rogé (born 1951), French pianist *

Pascal Siakam Pascal Siakam ( ; born 2 April 1994) is a Cameroonian professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A three-time NBA All-Star and two-time All-NBA Team, All-NBA selection, he won an NBA champ ...

(born 1994), Cameroonian basketball player in the National Basketball Association * Pascal Soriot (born 1959), chief executive officer of the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca *

Pascal Stenzel Pascal Stenzel (born 20 March 1996) is a German professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart. Club career Borussia Dortmund Stenzel is a Borussia Dortmund youth exponent, who played for the reserve team. He ...

(born 1996), VFB Stuttgart player which played also in Borrussia Dortmund * Pascal Struijk (born 1999), Dutch footballer *

Pascal Thévenot Pascal Thévenot (born 3 June 1966) is a French politician who was the Republican Member of Parliament for Yvelines's 2nd constituency from 2016 to 2017. References 1966 births Living people Deputies of the 14th National Assembly of ...

(born 1966), French politician *

Pascal Trépanier Pascal Trépanier (born September 4, 1973) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League with the Colorado Avalanche, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the Nashville Predators. He finished his 18-year ...

(born 1973), Canadian ice hockey player in the National Hockey League * Pascal Vicedomini, founder and producer of the Ischia Global Film & Music Festival * Pascal Vincent (born 1971), Canadian ice hockey head coach for the National Hockey League’s

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. The Blue Jackets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern C ...

Pascal Wehrlein Pascal Wehrlein (; born 18 October 1994) is a German and Mauritian racing driver, who competes in Formula E for Porsche. In formula racing, Wehrlein competed under the German flag in Formula One from to , and won the 2023–24 Formula E Worl ...

(born 1994), German-Mauritian Formula E and Formula 1 driver.

Fictional characters

* Pascal, a character from the action-role playing game '' Nier: Automata'' * Pascal, a character from the action-role playing game ''

Tales of Graces is an action role-playing game, action role-playing video game developed by Namco Tales Studio and published by Namco Bandai Games for the Wii. It was initially only released in Japan in December 2009. It is the twenty-first main installment of ...

'' * Pascal, Rapunzel's pet chameleon from the 2010 film ''

Tangled ''Tangled'' is a 2010 American animated musical film, musical Adventure film, adventure fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Loosely based on the German fairy tale "Rapunzel" in th ...

'' * Pascal Sauvage, a character from the spy comedy ''

Johnny English ''Johnny English'' is a 2003 spy action comedy film directed by Peter Howitt and written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and William Davies. It is a British-French venture produced by StudioCanal and Working Title Films, and distributed by Unive ...

'' * Pascal Curious, a pre-made Sim from the social simulation game ''

The Sims 2 ''The Sims 2'' is a 2004 social simulation video game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It is the second major title in ''The Sims'' series, and is the sequel to ''The Sims''. The game was released for Microsoft Windows on ...

'' * Pascal, a sea otter NPC in the ''

Animal Crossing is a social simulation video game series developed and published by Nintendo. It was created by Katsuya Eguchi and Hisashi Nogami. The player character is a human who lives in a village inhabited by various anthropomorphic animals and can ...

'' series

People

Fictional characters

References

See also