Pascoe
A Cornish surname from Pascal, originally a baptismal name linked to Easter.
The #9,722 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 92,550 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Pascoe is a Cornish form of Pascal, a personal name ultimately from Latin *Paschalis*, meaning “of Easter” or “belonging to Passover.” The name was traditionally given to children born around Easter, via Old French *Pasque* / *Pascal*. In Cornwall, that baptismal name developed into the surname Pascoe and related spellings.
History
The name is strongly associated with Cornwall, where it appears as both a forename and a surname. Nineteenth-century surname writers note it as a Cornish variation of Pascal and remark on its survival in Cornwall as an older personal name. It also spread beyond Cornwall, including into Devon, London, and overseas through migration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century writers described Pascoe as one of the old English-style personal names that lingered in Cornwall after falling out of use elsewhere.
From the historical record
“commonly varied to Pascoe, Paskell, &;c. PASCOE. PASCO. See Pascall. PASH. See Easter. PASK. See Easter. PASKALL. See Pascall. PASLEY. See Passelewe. PASIMORE. Probably Peasmore, a parish in Berkshire.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom