Given name & surname
Pavel
“small”·“a small or humble man”
Pavel 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
Pavel 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
Pavel is a variant of Paul. An origin associated with Paul is Latin.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Czech usage, Pavel developed from Paulus.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1971. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Pavel through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,544
- 1,544 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2008
- 83 babies
- 2025
- 37
- #3,225 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −12%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 37 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 3,225 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 12.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 83 in 2008. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (11). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 8,699 as a first name in 2020; 1,379 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.
Pavel’s family of names
In Czech usage, Pavel has a diminutive in Pavlík. Pavel shares a linguistic root with Paul. In Czech usage, Pavel has a conventional equivalent in the Spanish form Pablo.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Pavel has relatives in 52 languages.
52 related names in 52 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 6
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 56
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- PabloSpanish
- PauloPortuguese, Hawaiian
- PaoloItalian
- Pauequivalent
- Paulinoequivalent
- PolDutch, Luxembourgish
- Pavloequivalent
- PavleCroatian, Bosnian
Show 48 moreShow fewer
- Paulosequivalent
- Pawelequivalent
- Paulusroot · Latin
- PaCatalan
- PaalLow German
- PoulDanish
- Boghosequivalent
- Павалequivalent
- Pavalequivalent
- Povilasequivalent
- 保羅Chinese
- PawełPolish
- Павлоcognate · Ukrainian
- Παῦλοςroot · Ancient Greek
- PhaulWelsh
- ПолUkrainian, Russian
- PålSwedish, Norwegian
- Павлеsr-Cyrl, Macedonian
- Pavolalso known as · Slovak
- PòlScottish Gaelic
- Payfrr
- BávlosNorthern Sami
- ΠαύλοςGreek
- PawluMaltese
- PawlMaltese
- PálHungarian
- PauliusLithuanian
- 폴Korean
- ポールJapanese
- PállIcelandic, Faroese
- PólIrish
- PóilIrish
- PavaoCroatian
- PawołUpper Sorbian
- पॉलHindi
- PaviaGreenlandic
- PalsWest Frisian
- PaavoFinnish, Estonian
- PaavaliFinnish
- PaavelEstonian
- PaŭloEsperanto
- PaalkeLow German
- PoleLow German
- 保罗Chinese
- ՊողոսArmenian
- פולוסAramaic
- بولArabic
- PaulëAlbanian
People named Pavel
- Paul I of RussiaThe ninth Emperor of Russia from 1796 to 1801 (1754-1801)
- Pavel Durovtechnology entrepreneur (born 1984)
- Pavel CherenkovSoviet physicist (1904-1990)
- Pavel NedvědCzech association football playerborn 1972
- Pavel NakhimovRussian fleet commander1802–1855
- Pavel FlorenskyRussian Orthodox theologian, priest, philosopher, mathematician, physicist, electrical engineer, inventor and Neomartyr (1882–1937)
- Pavel PogrebnyakRussian footballerborn 1983
- Pavel HorváthCzech association football playerborn 1975
- Pavel Jozef ŠafárikSlovak poet, linguist, literature historian, publicist, educator, publicist, translator, writer and science writer (1795–1861)
Characters named Pavel: Pavel Chekov (fictional character), Pavel Korchagin (''How the Steel Was Tempered'').
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Pavel, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.