PAL
PAHL
A short pet name used as a familiar nickname, rather than a traditional stand-alone given name.
Meaning
In the excerpt from Charnock, Pal appears as an alliterative nickname alongside Pol and Polly, used with Mary. That points to Pal as a familiar pet form in English usage, not a name with a stable independent etymology of its own. The Yonge excerpt also lists Pal in a broader name index, but without giving a separate meaning beyond the dictionary entry context.
Origin
Englishvaries by culture
Fun fact
In older naming books, Pal can show up more as a nickname-style entry than as a full given name.
Confidence: mixed. Sources: Praenomina; or, the etymology of the principal Christian names of Great Britain and Ireland, History of Christian Names.