ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 👦As Boy Name 1917 First Year 2014 Last Year 1961 Peak Year #2410 Peak Rank 187 Total Count 27 Years Active 👧As Girl Name 2007 First Year 2024 Last Year 2007 Peak Year #17634 Peak Rank 15 Total Count 3 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Pal What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Pal is a masculine given name which may refer to:Pal Aron, British actor Pal Dukagjini (1411–1458), Albanian nobleman Pal Dushmani, Albanian clergyman Pal Engjëlli (1416–1470), Albanian clergyman Pal Gazulli (1405–1470), Albanian clergyman Pal Gropa, 13th-14th century Albanian lord Pal Homonai (1904–2010), Albanian artist Pal Kastrioti, Albanian ruler Pal Mirashi (1925–2001), Albanian… Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pal%5F%28given%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pal%5F%28given%5Fname%29) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * Albanian * Hungarian * Scottish Gaelic * Swedish * Norwegian 📖 ## The Story of Pal ### As a girl name Pal first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 2007, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2007: 5 births, good for #17,634 nationwide. About 33% of every Pal on record arrived during the 2000s, its defining decade. Pal last appeared in the published SSA data in 2024, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 15 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 2000s to the 2020s. ### As a boy name American parents first put Pal on the record books as a boy name in 1917, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1961, when 12 Pals were born — ranking #2,410 that year. About 31% of every Pal on record arrived during the 1980s, its defining decade. Pal last appeared in the published SSA data in 2014, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 187 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1910s to the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time Girls Boys ## Popularity by State 👧 Girls 👦 Boys ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🔗 ## Variants & Related Forms of Pal Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Pal. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * Pali * Pavli 🎶 ## Names that sound like Pal Phonetically similar names — useful when Pal is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * Palle * Pole * Pill * Pale * [Paul](/paul) * Pile * Peel * Pail * Poll * Ple * Peal * Pall Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Pal What does the name Pal mean? Pal is a masculine given name which may refer to:Pal Aron, British actor Pal Dukagjini (1411–1458), Albanian nobleman Pal Dushmani, Albanian clergyman Pal Engjëlli (1416–1470), Albanian clergyman Pal Gazulli (1405–1470), Albanian clergyman Pal Gropa, 13th-14th century Albanian lord Pal Homonai (1904–2010), Albanian artist Pal Kastrioti, Albanian ruler Pal Mirashi (1925–2001), Albanian… What is the origin of the name Pal? Pal has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Albanian, Hungarian, Scottish Gaelic, Swedish, Norwegian. How popular is Pal in 2026? In 2026, Pal ranks #12,106 among boys' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year. When was Pal most popular? Pal reached its peak popularity in 1961, ranking #2,410 that year with 12 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Pal most popular? Pal has historically been most popular in Texas. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Pal. Is Pal a unisex name? Yes — Pal is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 7% of Pals assigned female and 93% assigned male historically. What names go well with Pal? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Pal include Alphonsa, Silvano, Kelven. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. What are nicknames or variants of Pal? Common variants and related forms of Pal include Pali, Pavli. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms. ## Similar Names ### 👦 Similar Boy Names [👦AlphonsaPeak #2410](/alphonsa)[👦SilvanoPeak #2410](/silvano)[👦KelvenPeak #2410](/kelven)[👦EilanPeak #2410](/eilan) ### 👧 Similar Girl Names [👧AamenaPeak #17634](/aamena)[👧AariyonaPeak #17634](/aariyona)[👧AbielaPeak #17634](/abiela)[👧AdonciaPeak #17634](/adoncia) ## About the name Pal Pal is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1917 and has accumulated 187 births in the dataset. Pal's peak popularity came in 1961 when it ranked #2,410\. Use the chart and map above to compare Pal's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 1961 → ](/year/1961) * [ Names of the 1960s → ](/decade/1960s) * [ Names starting with "P" → ](/letter/p) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Browse unisex names → ](/names/unisex) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships. * Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.