Pascal History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

The prestigious surname Pascal comes from the Dauphiné region in the French Alps. The surname Pascal is a patronymic surname, a type of hereditary surname, and is derived from the personal name Pascal, a baptismal name. Patronymic surnames arose out of the vernacular and religious given name traditions. In the religious naming tradition, which was developed later than the vernacular tradition, surnames were bestowed in honor of religious figures or church officials. In Europe, the Christian Church was one of the most powerful influences on the formation of given names. Personal names derived from the names of saints, apostles, biblical figures, and missionaries are widespread in most European countries. In the Middle Ages, they became increasingly popular because people believed that the souls of the deceased continued to be involved in this world. They named their children after saints in the hope that the child would be blessed or protected by the saint. The given name Pascal is derived from the Latin name Pascha, which meant Easter and is in turn derived from the Hebraic name Pesach, which is the Hebrew name for the Passover. There were two saints named Pascal.

Early Origins of the Pascal family

The surname Pascal was first found in Dauphiny (French: Dauphiné or Dauphiné Viennois), a former province in southeastern France, where this distinguished family held a family seat as an aristocratic family in the seigneurie of Mérins. They later intermarried with the distinguished families of Colombier and Satolas.

Early History of the Pascal family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pascal research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1480, 1623, 1625, 1661, 1662 and 1735 are included under the topic Early Pascal History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pascal Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Pascal, Pascall, Pascalle, Pascalls, Pascalis, Pasca, Pascail, Pascau, Pascaud, Paschal, Paschel, Pascual, Pasqual, Pascault, Pascol, Pascoll, Pasquel, Paskell, Peschall, De Pascal, de Pascal, Depascal, De Paschall, Depaschall, Pescal and many more.

Early Notables of the Pascal family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), French mathematician and philosopher, eponym of the Pascal programming language

Pascal Ranking

In the United States, the name Pascal is the 10,440^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Pascal is ranked the 248^th most popular surname with an estimated 14,750 people with that name. 2

Pascal migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Pascal Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Francisco Pascal, aged 36, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1821 3
Edward A. Pascal, who arrived at Baltimore in 1828
M Pascal, aged 45, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1840 3
Louis Pascal, who landed in Mobile County, Ala in 1843 3
Larronel Pascal, aged 43, who arrived in Mobile County, Ala in 1844 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Pascal migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Pascal Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Nicolas Pascal, who arrived in Quebec from Franche-Comté in 1734

Pascal Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Pascal, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833
John Pascal, aged 18, a tailor, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the barque "Peggy" from Plymouth, England
Katharina Pascal, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1897
Maria Pascal, who landed in Canada in 1897

Contemporary Notables of the name Pascal (post 1700) +

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), French mathematician, physicist, inventor, and writer, namesake of Pascal, an imperative and procedural programming language
José Pedro Balmaceda Pascal (b. 1975), Chilean and American actor, best known for his roles in Game of Thrones (2014), Narcos (2015–2017) and The Mandalorian
Francine Paula Pascal (1932-2024), née Rubin, an American author best known for creating the Sweet Valley series of young adult novels which was made into a popular television series
Robert "Bob" A. Pascal (1934-2021), American Republican politician, collegiate football player, a professional Canadian football player
Amy Pascal (b. 1958), American Co-Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc
Adam Pascal (b. 1970), American actor and singer
Robert A. Pascal, American Republican politician, Delegate to Maryland State Constitutional Convention District 6-B, 1967; Member of Maryland State Senate District 6-B, 1971-74; Candidate for Governor of Maryland, 1982 4
Oscar Pascal, American politician, Delegate to Socialist National Convention from Michigan, 1960 4
Nancy Pascal, American politician, Member of Maryland State Senate 6th District, 1974 4
Joseph Sécret Pascal -Vallongue, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 5
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Pascal Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Spes mea Christus
Motto Translation: Christ is my hope.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, June 16) Joseph Pascal. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html