Pavel
How to say it: pah-VEL · /pɑˈvɛl/
Russian and Slavic form of Paul, Latin 'paulus' small; - long-established across Eastern Europe.
Pavel was the 2,505th most popular boys’ name in the United States in 2025, given to 37 babies (Social Security Administration). Its busiest decade was the 2000s, its births are up about 8% in ten years, and it is projected to rise to #2,469 by 2030.
Updated · SSA 2025 data, published May 2026 · Insee 2025 data, published July 2026 · How we compute these figures
Key facts
| Rank among boys’ names, 2025 | #2,505 |
|---|---|
| Babies born in 2025 | 37 |
| Share of births | 1 in 89,603 |
| Peak decade | 2000s |
| Change over 10 years | +8% |
| Projected rank for 2030 (estimate) | #2,469 |
| In France, 2025 | #539 among boys’ names, 70 births |
Sources: Social Security Administration (SSA), Insee (France). How we compute these figures.
Its life, decade by decade
Pavel is a newcomer: almost all of its history is from the last forty years.
What goes with it
Nicknames
- Pasha
- Pav
- Pava
Honouring a Pavel in the family
In the classroom
In a class of 25 children born in 2025, the chance that another child is called Pavel is about under 1 in 200.
Around the world
This spelling is used in Czech, English, French, Russian.
In France: #539 for boys in 2025.
Famous people named Pavel
- Pavel Durov (born 1984)Technology entrepreneur
- Pavel Nedvěd (born 1972)Czech association football player
- Pavel Cherenkov (1904–1990)Soviet physicist
From Wikidata and Wikipedia
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