Percival
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- PUR-si-val
- Origin
- French
- UK rank, 2025
- #790 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #1,529 for boys
Vintage revival
Percival is a boys' name of French origin. In 2025 it ranked 790th for boys in the UK (47 babies) and 1,529th for boys in the US (113 babies).
What does Percival mean?
French: coined by Chrétien de Troyes, perhaps from Welsh Peredur
Percival is the Arthurian knight who seeks the Holy Grail, first appearing in Chrétien de Troyes's 12th-century romance.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Percival a girl's or a boy's name?
Percival is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 47 boys in the UK and 113 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Percival in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #790among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 47about 1 in 6,400 boys
- Five-year trend
- Risingup 64% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 47 boys in the UK were named Percival, making it the 790th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,179th.
It has been given to more boys each year for the last 6 years. 2025 had the most boys named Percival of any year since it first appeared, in 1997.
Half of all the boys named Percival in the UK since 1996 were born between 2017 and 2023, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among boys in 2025, it was 735th in England and Wales.
In the England and Wales top 100 for boys, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1904 (#72) and 1914 (#94).
Percival in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 47 | #790 |
| 2024 | 40 | #863 |
| 2023 | 38 | #913 |
| 2022 | 36 | #939 |
| 2021 | 27 | #1,134 |
| 2020 | 25 | #1,179 |
| 2019 | 22 | #1,261 |
| 2018 | 29 | #1,067 |
| 2017 | 19 | #1,428 |
| 2016 | 19 | #1,458 |
| 2015 | 14 | #1,779 |
| 2014 | 14 | #1,743 |
| 2013 | 9 | #2,334 |
| 2012 | 4 | #4,147 |
| 2011 | 8 | #2,503 |
| 2010 | 4 | #4,026 |
| 2009 | 3 | #4,691 |
| 2008 | 3 | #4,615 |
| 2007 | 6 | #2,873 |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 4 | #3,330 |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 3 | #3,325 |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 3 | #2,979 |
How popular is Percival in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,529among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 113about 1 in 15,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising fastup 161% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 113 boys in the US were named Percival, making it the 1,529th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,688th.
It has been given to more boys each year for the last 4 years. 2025 had the most boys named Percival of any year since the records began in 1880.
Half of all the boys named Percival in the US since 1880 were born between 1928 and 2020, the years shaded on the chart below.
Percival in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 113 | #1,529 |
| 2024 | 93 | #1,767 |
| 2023 | 63 | #2,243 |
| 2022 | 51 | #2,615 |
| 2021 | 46 | #2,731 |
| 2020 | 46 | #2,688 |
| 2019 | 38 | #3,100 |
| 2018 | 19 | #4,914 |
| 2017 | 19 | #4,931 |
| 2016 | 12 | #6,721 |
| 2015 | 16 | #5,503 |
| 2014 | 16 | #5,481 |
| 2013 | 8 | #8,784 |
| 2012 | 9 | #8,152 |
| 2011 | 13 | #6,250 |
| 2010 | 6 | #10,759 |
| 2009 | 5 | #12,486 |
| 2008 | 0 | – |
| 2007 | 8 | #8,909 |
| 2006 | 6 | #10,655 |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 5 | #11,348 |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 6 | #9,236 |
| 2000 | 6 | #9,104 |
| 1999 | 7 | #7,867 |
| 1998 | 5 | #9,623 |
| 1997 | 6 | #8,104 |
| 1996 | 6 | #7,964 |
| 1995 | 5 | #8,861 |
| 1994 | 6 | #7,764 |
| 1993 | 9 | #5,764 |
| 1992 | 6 | #7,414 |
| 1991 | 6 | #7,263 |
| 1990 | 6 | #7,171 |
| 1989 | 6 | #6,934 |
| 1988 | 6 | #6,420 |
| 1987 | 7 | #5,453 |
| 1986 | 7 | #5,327 |
| 1985 | 6 | #5,780 |
| 1984 | 8 | #4,549 |
| 1983 | 16 | #2,786 |
| 1982 | 5 | #6,383 |
| 1981 | 8 | #4,507 |
| 1980 | 6 | #5,523 |
| 1979 | 6 | #5,353 |
| 1978 | 5 | #5,769 |
| 1977 | 11 | #3,384 |
| 1976 | 10 | #3,469 |
| 1975 | 8 | #3,939 |
| 1974 | 6 | #4,632 |
| 1973 | 10 | #3,221 |
| 1972 | 9 | #3,342 |
| 1971 | 15 | #2,463 |
| 1970 | 7 | #3,834 |
| 1969 | 8 | #3,313 |
| 1968 | 7 | #3,364 |
| 1967 | 0 | – |
| 1966 | 7 | #3,247 |
| 1965 | 14 | #2,177 |
| 1964 | 13 | #2,309 |
| 1963 | 6 | #3,645 |
| 1962 | 7 | #3,303 |
| 1961 | 8 | #3,095 |
| 1960 | 6 | #3,663 |
| 1959 | 10 | #2,662 |
| 1958 | 6 | #3,557 |
| 1957 | 12 | #2,374 |
| 1956 | 7 | #3,214 |
| 1955 | 8 | #2,962 |
| 1954 | 6 | #3,450 |
| 1953 | 5 | #3,796 |
| 1952 | 8 | #2,872 |
| 1951 | 5 | #3,712 |
| 1950 | 7 | #3,020 |
| 1949 | 6 | #3,296 |
| 1948 | 0 | – |
| 1947 | 7 | #3,095 |
| 1946 | 8 | #2,689 |
| 1945 | 0 | – |
| 1944 | 6 | #3,108 |
| 1943 | 6 | #3,229 |
| 1942 | 6 | #3,211 |
| 1941 | 5 | #3,504 |
| 1940 | 0 | – |
| 1939 | 0 | – |
| 1938 | 0 | – |
| 1937 | 8 | #2,680 |
| 1936 | 0 | – |
| 1935 | 6 | #3,252 |
| 1934 | 7 | #2,972 |
| 1933 | 8 | #2,737 |
| 1932 | 8 | #2,849 |
| 1931 | 9 | #2,650 |
| 1930 | 9 | #2,779 |
| 1929 | 9 | #2,764 |
| 1928 | 14 | #2,162 |
| 1927 | 7 | #3,450 |
| 1926 | 19 | #1,787 |
| 1925 | 10 | #2,753 |
| 1924 | 10 | #2,821 |
| 1923 | 9 | #2,948 |
| 1922 | 25 | #1,503 |
| 1921 | 22 | #1,648 |
| 1920 | 12 | #2,458 |
| 1919 | 10 | #2,664 |
| 1918 | 18 | #1,826 |
| 1917 | 13 | #2,187 |
| 1916 | 17 | #1,770 |
| 1915 | 11 | #2,309 |
| 1914 | 11 | #1,974 |
| 1913 | 11 | #1,675 |
| 1912 | 16 | #1,174 |
| 1911 | 0 | – |
| 1910 | 0 | – |
| 1909 | 0 | – |
| 1908 | 6 | #1,216 |
| 1907 | 0 | – |
| 1906 | 0 | – |
| 1905 | 7 | #1,001 |
| 1904 | 5 | #1,204 |
| 1903 | 5 | #1,129 |
| 1902 | 8 | #861 |
| 1901 | 7 | #857 |
| 1900 | 7 | #1,049 |
| 1899 | 0 | – |
| 1898 | 0 | – |
| 1897 | 8 | #786 |
| 1896 | 0 | – |
| 1895 | 0 | – |
| 1894 | 8 | #786 |
| 1893 | 7 | #836 |
| 1892 | 9 | #747 |
| 1891 | 6 | #840 |
| 1890 | 5 | #994 |
| 1889 | 6 | #878 |
| 1888 | 5 | #1,030 |
| 1887 | 0 | – |
| 1886 | 8 | #694 |
| 1885 | 7 | #765 |
| 1884 | 6 | #848 |
| 1883 | 5 | #891 |
| 1882 | 6 | #836 |
| 1881 | 7 | #705 |
| 1880 | 7 | #745 |
Nicknames for Percival
- Percy 152 boys in the UK in 2025
Names like Percival
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Percy Archibald Alfred Rupert Ezra Samuel Henry Albert Arthur Casper Theodore Jasper
More French names
Eleanor Beau Esme Darcie Darcy Genevieve Amy Esmae Arleth Elle Russell Monty Mallory Lacey Belle Quincy
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Percival: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/percival, updated 20 October 2026.