Fun Facts About the Name Pax
- More than 1 thousand babies named Pax: U.S. records list 1,097 babies given the name Pax from 1880 through 2025. Even 54 girls received the name Pax - about 1 girl for every 19 boys.
What Does the Name Pax Mean?
Pax is the Latin word for "peace," and it is used as a given name for that literal meaning. The noun belongs to a small Latin family of words about agreements and binding: pacisci, "to make a pact or bargain," and pangere, "to fasten or fix." The underlying idea is that peace is a settled bond between parties rather than simply an absence of fighting. In Roman religion, Pax was also the personification of peace, a goddess identified with the Greek Eirene. The word carried over into Christian Latin, where it appears in the greeting pax vobiscum ("peace be with you") and in the name of the pax, a small tablet bearing a sacred image that was kissed during Mass. As a personal name it stands on its own as a Latin word, not as a shortening of an older given name.
Pax Name History & Origins
The Latin noun pax entered Roman public life as the name of a goddess. The emperor Augustus promoted the cult of Pax as part of the peace established after the civil wars; the Senate dedicated the Ara Pacis Augustae ("Altar of Augustan Peace") in Rome in 9 BCE, and Vespasian later built a Temple of Peace near the Forum. Coins and imperial propaganda used Pax as a figure with an olive branch, a cornucopia, or a scepter.
In Christian Latin, pax remained the everyday word for peace. It appears in the liturgy in pax vobiscum and in the phrase "kiss of peace" for the gesture exchanged by worshippers. From the same usage came the pax, or osculatory, a small wooden or metal plaque with a holy image that was kissed during Mass; the practice was common in England and northern Europe before the Reformation.
Use of Pax as an English given name is uncommon. Where it appears, it is generally chosen for the Latin meaning "peace," and it can also serve as a short form of a longer name beginning with Pax-, such as Paxton. Paxton, however, is an English surname and place name with its own separate origin, and the resemblance between the two should not be taken as proof that they descend from the same personal name.
How Popular is the Name Pax?
Pax has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2024. Its best rank was #1,972 in 2018.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | #17,002 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2020 | #13,120 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2019 | #15,139 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2018 | #12,229 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2017 | #17,814 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #9,928 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2015 | #14,143 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #18,558 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,074 | 72 | 0.0042% |
| 2024 | #1,976 | 79 | 0.0046% |
| 2023 | #2,287 | 62 | 0.0036% |
| 2022 | #2,311 | 62 | 0.0036% |
| 2021 | #2,051 | 72 | 0.0041% |
| 2020 | #2,226 | 62 | 0.0036% |
| 2019 | #2,166 | 66 | 0.0037% |
| 2018 | #1,972 | 75 | 0.0041% |
| 2017 | #2,165 | 63 | 0.0034% |
| 2016 | #1,985 | 73 | 0.0038% |
| 2015 | #2,160 | 64 | 0.0033% |
| 2014 | #2,482 | 51 | 0.0027% |
| 2013 | #2,589 | 47 | 0.0025% |
| 2012 | #2,619 | 47 | 0.0025% |
| 2011 | #3,093 | 37 | 0.0019% |
| 2010 | #3,288 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 2009 | #2,933 | 41 | 0.0021% |
| 2008 | #5,987 | 15 | 0.0007% |
| 2007 | #8,727 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1975 | #6,070 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1974 | #4,505 | 7 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Pax Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have a power of expression, either in speaking or writing. You are in favor for studying and research. You are clever, clear-sighted and intellectual. You don't like to let others know your true feelings. You might be atheistic or agnostic. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Pax's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Pax's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.