Given name & surname
Pal
“small”·“a small or humble man”
Pal is a variant of Paul. Interpretations include “small” and “a small or humble man” (Latin). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Pal is a variant of Paul. Interpretations include “small” and “a small or humble man” (Latin). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Pal is a variant of Paul. An origin associated with Paul is Latin.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
Pal developed from Paulus.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1917. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Pal through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 202
- 187 boys · 15 girls
- Most popular year
- 1961
- 12 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 2024. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 619 as a first name in 2020; 4,019 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Pal’s family of names
Pal shares a linguistic root with Paul. Pal has a conventional equivalent in the Spanish form Pablo. Pal has a related form in Paul.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Pal has relatives in 10 languages.
9 related names in 10 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 5
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Pal
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Pal, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Tal
“covered with the morning's dew”
85% boys · 15% girls
Sal
“princess; lady” · “a savior”
>99% boys
Val
“one who is strong and healthy” · “resembling a spring flower”
88% boys · 12% girls
Parrish
“woman of the church” · “man of the church”
71% boys · 29% girls
Hal
“the ruler of the house” · “home”
>99% boys
Randal
“the wolf shield”
>99% boys
Pete
“as solid and strong as a rock”
>99% boys
Darrel
“one who is dearly loved”
>99% boys