Percival

/P-ER-R-S-IH-V-AH-L/

Boy Christian Latin origin European

Pierce the valley — one of King Arthur's knights who sought the Holy Grail, embodying the quest for spiritual perfection.

See Percival scored for your family

Meaning & origin

Percival is a boy's name of Latin origin, traditionally used in Christian families. The name means "Pierce the valley — one of King Arthur's knights who sought the Holy Grail, embodying the quest for spiritual perfection." and belongs to the Courage cluster — names for children who will grow into bold, fearless hearts.

Common among European families, Percival carries cultural weight that goes beyond its dictionary definition — it's a name with a story and a community.

Numerology of Percival

Numerology assigns each name a single-digit destiny number by summing its letter values. Different schools use different mappings — NameRoot computes both so you can see how Percival resonates in either tradition.

Pythagorean
5
freedom and adventurous change
Chaldean
2
harmony and partnership

How Percival sounds

NameRoot scores the phonetic fit of every name against the sound of your last name. The pronunciation of Percival breaks down into 8 phonemes: /P-ER-R-S-IH-V-AH-L/. In the app, you'll see how those sounds flow with your family name across rhythm, stress, and consonant clusters.

Nicknames

Common affectionate forms of Percival — useful for everyday family conversation, early childhood, or as standalone given names themselves.

PeriPerc

The six signals, applied to Percival

NameRoot scores every name across six independent dimensions. Here's how Percival maps to each — install the app to see the full compatibility score for your specific family.

01 — Birth Star
Nakshatra match
Enter your baby's birth date in the app and we'll compute the nakshatra compatibility score.
02 — Numerology
Destiny alignment
Pythagorean and Chaldean life-path calculations (destiny 5) matched against your family's own numerology profile.
03 — Phonetics
Last-name fit
Rhythm, stress, and consonant clusters measured with IPA to see how Percival flows with your family name.
04 — Meaning
Courage
Percival belongs to the Courage cluster — names for children who will grow into bold, fearless hearts.
05 — Cultural & Tradition
Christian
As a Christian name, Percival carries religious and cultural weight scored against your family's heritage — plus grandparent-name matches, saint's-day alignment, and generational naming patterns scored against your family tree.
06 — Uniqueness
Popularity balance
How common Percival is today versus historically — finding the sweet spot between familiar and forgotten.

Names similar to Percival

If Percival resonates with you, these names live in the same world — drawn from the same tradition, sharing the same meaning, or echoing a similar sound.

From the same tradition

Other Christian boy names, common in European families

Liam
Irish diminutive of William (Uilliam), from Germanic 'wil' (will) + 'helm' (helmet). Global phenomenon.
Noah
Rest, comfort, repose, from Hebrew Noach, linked to the root meaning to rest or bring relief. Borne in scripture by the builder of the ark who outlasted the flood, it has stayed in continuous Western use and now sits among the most-given boys' names worldwide.
Oliver
From Latin olivarius (olive tree cultivator) or from the Frankish Olivier.
George
Farmer, earth worker — the patron saint of England, the name of six kings, and Prince George of Cambridge. England's defining name.

Sharing the same meaning

Other Christian boy names from the Courage cluster

James
Supplanter, the one who grasps the heel and takes the lead — James is the English form of Jacob, the patriarch who wrestled with an angel and would not let go until he received a blessing. Two apostles bore this name, and kings of England and Scotland carried it across centuries. It speaks of tenacity, the refusal to surrender an advantage once gained, and the quiet persistence of faith that holds on even when the struggle seems endless
Ben
Son, son of the right hand — short for Benjamin. Germany's most-loved short boy name: direct, strong, and universally friendly.
Leo
Lion, the king of beasts whose roar commands silence across the savanna — Leo is the Latin word for lion and the name of thirteen popes, one of the great constellations, and the zodiac sign of midsummer. It carries the regal confidence of an animal that fears nothing, the warmth of a golden mane in the August sun, and the compact majesty of a three-letter name that contains an entire kingdom

Names that sound similar

Christian boy names that open with the same syllables as Percival

Percy
From Percy in Normandy — Percy is a Norman-French place name meaning the estate of Persius, carried to Britain after the Conquest and borne by the powerful Percy family of Northumberland. It gained literary distinction through the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, author of Ozymandias, and now carries a soft, vintage flavour as a given name.
Peter
A chief apostolic name of leadership and witness
Paul
A central missionary and epistolary name of early Christianity

Common questions about Percival

What does the name Percival mean?

Percival means "Pierce the valley — one of King Arthur's knights who sought the Holy Grail, embodying the quest for spiritual perfection.." It is a boy name of Latin origin, traditionally used in Christian families.

Is Percival a boy or girl name?

Percival is most commonly used as a boy name.

What is the origin of the name Percival?

Percival is of Latin origin, used in Christian tradition, commonly among European families.

What are common nicknames for Percival?

Common short forms of Percival include Peri, Perc.

What is the numerology of Percival?

Percival has a Pythagorean destiny number of 5 — freedom and adventurous change.

See how Percival scores for your family

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