Fun Facts About the Name Percival
- More than 1 thousand babies named Percival: U.S. records list 1,466 babies given the name Percival from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Percival Mean?
Percival is an English masculine name from Old French Perceval. The usual explanation is that it is made of Old French percer, "to pierce," and val, "valley," so its traditional meaning is "pierce the valley." That literal sense is a descriptive phrase, not a statement about the character of a person who bears the name.
The etymology is not fully certain. The "pierce the valley" derivation is a customary interpretation, and the exact formation of the Old French name is not documented with certainty. Some writers have connected Perceval with the Welsh name Peredur, the hero of a medieval Welsh tale, but the relationship between the two names is debated; they may be related by literary borrowing or common tradition rather than by direct linguistic descent. No independent certain origin has been established.
Percival Name History & Origins
The English name Percival comes from the Old French Perceval, the name of the Arthurian knight and Grail hero. One of the earliest surviving Arthurian romances to center on Perceval is Chrétien de Troyes's Perceval, le Conte du Graal ("Perceval, the Story of the Grail"), written in the late 12th century. In that romance, Perceval is a young knight of King Arthur's court who encounters the Grail castle. A Welsh prose tale, Peredur son of Efrawg, tells a similar story; whether it depends on Chrétien's poem or preserves an older Welsh tradition is debated.
German versions of the story used the forms Parzival and Parsifal. Wolfram von Eschenbach's Middle High German Parzival dates from the early 13th century, and Richard Wagner's opera Parsifal appeared in 1882. In English, Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur (15th century) includes Percival among Arthur's knights, and Alfred, Lord Tennyson's Idylls of the King (19th century) retold the legend for Victorian readers.
The English form Percival corresponds to French Perceval and German Parzival. The name has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world and also occurs as a surname. Its use is closely tied to the Arthurian stories rather than to a separate biblical or saint's tradition.
How Popular is the Name Percival?
Percival recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2025. Its best rank was #744 in 1886.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,536 | 113 | 0.0066% |
| 2024 | #1,768 | 93 | 0.0054% |
| 2023 | #2,265 | 63 | 0.0037% |
| 2022 | #2,640 | 51 | 0.0029% |
| 2021 | #2,762 | 46 | 0.0026% |
| 2020 | #2,720 | 46 | 0.0027% |
| 2019 | #3,136 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 2018 | #5,056 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2017 | #5,061 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2016 | #7,031 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2015 | #5,675 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2014 | #5,657 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2013 | #9,439 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2012 | #8,692 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2011 | #6,491 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2010 | #11,818 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #13,959 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #9,528 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2006 | #11,686 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #12,735 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #10,210 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #10,010 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #8,483 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1998 | #10,868 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #8,970 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #8,725 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #9,920 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #8,534 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #6,097 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1992 | #8,193 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1991 | #7,984 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #7,852 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #7,660 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #7,025 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1987 | #5,930 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1986 | #5,767 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1985 | #6,316 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #4,861 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #2,883 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1982 | #7,096 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1981 | #4,841 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #6,043 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #5,870 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1978 | #6,517 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1977 | #3,536 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1976 | #3,648 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1975 | #4,201 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1974 | #5,081 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1973 | #3,382 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1972 | #3,535 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1971 | #2,527 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1970 | #4,134 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1969 | #3,511 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1968 | #3,596 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1966 | #3,461 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1965 | #2,239 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1964 | #2,384 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1963 | #3,920 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1962 | #3,547 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1961 | #3,289 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1960 | #3,956 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1959 | #2,774 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1958 | #3,832 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1957 | #2,462 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1956 | #3,449 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1955 | #3,145 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1954 | #3,727 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1953 | #4,214 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1952 | #3,041 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1951 | #4,115 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1950 | #3,249 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1949 | #3,610 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1947 | #3,292 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1946 | #2,849 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1944 | #3,354 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1943 | #3,466 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1942 | #3,477 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1941 | #3,884 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1937 | #2,845 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1935 | #3,561 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1934 | #3,208 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1933 | #2,935 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1932 | #3,037 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1931 | #2,827 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1930 | #2,956 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1929 | #2,917 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1928 | #2,238 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1927 | #3,701 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1926 | #1,833 | 19 | 0.0017% |
| 1925 | #2,890 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1924 | #2,973 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1923 | #3,112 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1922 | #1,538 | 25 | 0.0023% |
| 1921 | #1,694 | 22 | 0.0020% |
| 1920 | #2,570 | 12 | 0.0011% |
| 1919 | #2,820 | 10 | 0.0010% |
| 1918 | #1,884 | 18 | 0.0018% |
| 1917 | #2,254 | 13 | 0.0014% |
| 1916 | #1,827 | 17 | 0.0019% |
| 1915 | #2,414 | 11 | 0.0013% |
| 1914 | #2,071 | 11 | 0.0017% |
| 1913 | #1,778 | 11 | 0.0021% |
| 1912 | #1,212 | 16 | 0.0037% |
| 1908 | #1,337 | 6 | 0.0039% |
| 1905 | #1,063 | 7 | 0.0053% |
| 1904 | #1,354 | 5 | 0.0039% |
| 1903 | #1,266 | 5 | 0.0042% |
| 1902 | #914 | 8 | 0.0065% |
| 1901 | #925 | 7 | 0.0066% |
| 1900 | #1,141 | 7 | 0.0047% |
| 1897 | #838 | 8 | 0.0071% |
| 1894 | #843 | 8 | 0.0069% |
| 1893 | #891 | 7 | 0.0062% |
| 1892 | #782 | 9 | 0.0074% |
| 1891 | #933 | 6 | 0.0059% |
| 1890 | #1,118 | 5 | 0.0045% |
| 1889 | #952 | 6 | 0.0054% |
| 1888 | #1,144 | 5 | 0.0041% |
| 1886 | #744 | 8 | 0.0072% |
| 1885 | #821 | 7 | 0.0065% |
| 1884 | #948 | 6 | 0.0052% |
| 1883 | #1,010 | 5 | 0.0048% |
| 1882 | #920 | 6 | 0.0053% |
| 1881 | #762 | 7 | 0.0069% |
| 1880 | #790 | 7 | 0.0063% |
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.
Explore More Lists with Name Percival
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with P
How the Name Percival 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 have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
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.
✦ Percival's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Percival's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.