Pascual
A Spanish surname from the Christian feast of Easter or Passover, originally used as a personal name.
The #2,998 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 25,817 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Pascual comes from Latin paschalis, meaning “of Easter” or “of Passover,” ultimately from pascha, “Passover/Easter.” In Spanish, it became a given name and then a surname, especially where surnames were formed from saints’ days, feast days, or baptismal names. The same root also produced related forms such as Pasqual, Pasquale, and Paschal in other European languages.
History
The name appears in medieval Spanish records as a personal name and later as a hereditary surname. It spread widely in Spain and, through Spanish migration, into Latin America and the Philippines. Related forms are common across Romance-language areas, reflecting the popularity of Easter-based Christian naming.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The source excerpts show Pascual being grouped with other feast-day and liturgical names, which fits its origin from a church-season term.
From the historical record
“tido, dejaba indeterminada la persona , ^ el pueblo preferia llamarse: Don Barnahas el ahhaí; Don Assensio el coxo ; Gómez el jerno de JJ^ Pascual; Don i?.° cuñado del arciprest; D.° Pedrez el • Para dar idea de la confusión que ocasionaban los pa- tronímicos , y cuan justificada estaba la adopción de sobre-…”
— Ensayo histórico etimológico filológico sobre los apellidos castellanos