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$Title{Names for Boys:  P}
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Editors of Consumer Guide
Harder, Kelsey}
$Subject{Names Boys P}
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The Ultimate Baby Name Book


Names for Boys:  P


Paavo (see Paul)

Pabis (see Paul)

Pablino (see Paul)

Pablo              Spanish form of Paul.
    Famous names:  Pablo Casals (conductor)
                   Pablo Picasso (painter)

Pabolo (see Paul)

Paco (see Francis)

Paddy (see Patrick)

Padraic (see Patrick)

Padraig (see Patrick)

Padrig (see Patrick)

Padruig (see Patrick)

Palacido (see Placido)

Panchito (see Pancho)

Pancho             Spanish form of Latin penna, "plume"; also, a variation of
                   Frank.
    Famous names:  Pancho Gonzalez (tennis player)
                   Pancho Villa (bandit)
      Variations:  Francisco, Panchito, Pancholo, Panzo

Pancholo (see Pancho)

Panzo (see Pancho)

Paoli (see Paul)

Paolino (see Paul)

Paolo (see Paul)

Paquin (see Francis)

Park (see Parker)

Parker             Old English "the person in charge of the park of the
                   manor"; also, "a gamekeeper."  This is an occupational
                   name, like Baker.
     Famous name:  Parker Stevens (actor)
        Nickname:  Park

Parnel (see Parnell, Peter)

Parnell            A contraction of French Petronella, "Little Peter" or
                   "little rock."  Parnell is one of the many names to spin
                   off from Peter.  This name is associated with Irish
                   politics and literature.  Charles Stewart Parnell was an
                   Irish nationalist leader, and some Irish-Americans choose
                   to name their sons after him.
     Famous name:  Pernell Roberts (actor)
        Nickname:  Pete
      Variations:  Parnel, Pernell

Parsefal, Parsifal (see Percival)

Parzival (see Percival)

Pascal             Hebrew "of the Passover"; Middle English Pask "Easter."
                   This name honors Good Friday, and boys born on that day
                   traditionally are named Pascal.  The Sunday following Good
                   Friday is Easter, the day for hunting eggs, which used to
                   be called Pascal Eggs.  This name is fairly popular.  It's
                   the name of the little boy in the French children's book
                   The Red Balloon.
      Variations:  Paschall, Paschell, Pascoe, Pasqual, Pesach

Paschall (see Pascal)

Paschell (see Pascal)

Pascoe (see Pascal)

Pasqual (see Pascal)

Passifull (see Percival)

Pat                Form of Patrick.
     Famous name:  Pat Metheny (musician)

Patrice (see Patrick)

Patriciano (see Patrick)

Patricio (see Patrick)

Patrick            Latin patricius, "member of the nobility."  St. Patrick,
                   the patron saint of Ireland, was born in England and
                   educated in France.  In 432 A.D., he came to Ireland to
                   preach the Gospel.  Until the seventeenth century, most
                   people in Ireland held St. Patrick in such high esteem that
                   his name wasn't used.  Although this name is often thought
                   to be exclusively Irish, Scots claim it as well.  In the
                   United States, the statesman and orator Patrick Henry urged
                   the declaration of war against the English crown with his
                   famous speech, "Give me liberty or give me death."  Today,
                   the name is popular in both England and the United States.
     Famous name:  Patrick Duffy (actor)
       Nicknames:  Paddy, Pat, Patsy, Patty
      Variations:  Padraic (Irish), Padraig (Irish), Padrig (Welsh), Padruig
                   (Scottish), Patrice (French), Patriciano, Patricio
                   (Spanish), Patritio, Patrizio (Italian), Patrizius
                   (German), Pattison, Paxton, Petrice, Peyton, Pitricio,
                   Richi, Richie, Ticho

Patritio (see Patrick)

Patrizio (see Patrick)

Patrizius (see Patrick)

Patsy (see Patrick)

Pattison (see Patrick)

Patty (see Patrick)

Paul               Greek paulos, "small."  St. Paul, a Jew who had persecuted
                   Christians, became one of Christianity's most ardent
                   advocates after his conversion.  Through his Epistles,
                   Paul's beliefs and his interpretations of Christianity
                   became the foundation of much of the religion.  Paul is
                   also the name of six popes.  While never extremely popular
                   in England, the name is very common in Russia, Italy,
                   Spain, and France.  Painters Paul Cezanne, Paul Gauguin,
                   and Paul Klee lent the name artistic roots, while the
                   American Revolutionary hero Paul Revere gave the name
                   stature in the United States.  The name has been
                   particularly popular among actors, including Paul Muni,
                   Paul Newman, Paul Robeson, Paul Scofield, and Paul
                   Winfield.
    Famous names:  Paul Harvey (commentator)
                   Paul Hindemith (composer)
                   Paul McCartney (musician)
                   Paul Verlaine (poet)
                   Paul Volker (economist)
        Nickname:  Paulie
      Variations:  Paavo (Scandinavian), Pabis, Pablino, Pablo (Spanish),
                   Pabolo, Paoli, Paolino (Italian), Paolo, Paulico, Paulino
                   (Spanish), Paulius, Paullin, Paulo (Portuguese), Paulos
                   (Greek), Paulot, Paultje, Paulum, Paulus (Latin), Pava,
                   Pavek, Pavel, Paviana, Pavlenka (Russian), Pavlin, Pavlo,
                   Pawley, Payla, Pol, Polin

Paulico (see Paul)

Paulie (see Paul)

Paulino (see Paul)

Paulius (see Paul)

Paullin (see Paul)

Paulo (see Paul)

Paulos (see Paul)

Paulot (see Paul)

Paultje (see Paul)

Paulum (see Paul)

Paulus (see Paul)

Pava (see Paul)

Pavek (see Paul)

Pavel (see Paul)

Paviana (see Paul)

Pavlenka (see Paul)

Pavlin (see Paul)

Pavlo (see Paul)

Pawley (see Paul)

Paxton (see Patrick)

Payla (see Paul)

Peadair (see Peter)

Pearl (see Earl)

Pearson (see Peter)

Peder (see Peter)

Pedro (see Peter)

Peers (see Peter)

Pelo (see Felix)

Pentti (see Benedict)

Peppo (see Joseph)

Per (see Peter)

Perce (see Percival)

Perceval (see Percival)

Percifull (see Percival)

Percival           Origin uncertain, but may come from French perce-val,
                   "valley piercer."  This name was invented by Chretien de
                   Troyes in the twelfth century.  He used it for a knight who
                   was on a quest for the Holy Grail.  The story is retold in
                   Malory's Morte d'Arthur and also in Tennyson's Idylls of
                   the King.
    Famous names:  Percival Lowell (astronomer)
                   Percy Bysshe Shelley (poet)
  Other spelling:  Perceval
       Nicknames:  Perce, Percy
      Variations:  Parsefal, Parsifal, Parzival, Passifull, Percifull, Pursey

Percy (see Percival)

Perico (see Peter)

Periquin (see Peter)

Perkin (see Peter)

Pernell (see Parnell, Peter)

Pero (see Peter)

Perrin (see Peter)

Perry              Old English pyrige, "pear tree"; also, a variation of
                   Peter.  The many books, as well as the television series
                   and movies about the exploits of defense attorney Perry
                   Mason overshadow any other connotations of this name.
    Famous names:  Perry Como (singer)
                   Perry Ellis (fashion designer)
                   Perry King (actor)
                   Perry Miller (historian)

Pershing           German "a person who lives near a peach tree."  Today, this
                   name is very unusual.  It honors General John Joseph
                   "Blackjack" Pershing, commander of the U.S. Expeditionary
                   Forces in World War I.  The name was given to sons of
                   soldiers who fought under his command.
     Famous name:  Robert Pershing "Bobby" Doerr (baseball player)

Pesach (see Pascal)

Pete               Form of Pernell or Peter.
    Famous names:  Pete Rose (baseball player)
                   Pete Seeger (musician)

Peter              Greek petra, "rock."  St. Peter, once a fisherman, was one
                   of the Twelve Apostles and is regarded as the first pope,
                   which is why so many churches were named after him.  In
                   Russia, three tsars were named Peter.  The best-known,
                   Peter I, called Peter the Great, attempted to westernize
                   his country in the eighteenth century.  Peter II and Peter
                   III each ruled for only a few years.  Four famous Peters
                   reigned in the art world:  Pieter Bruegel, Piet Mondrian,
                   Pierre Auguste Renoir, and Peter Paul Rubens.  Peter Ilyich
                   Tchaikovsky is known as one of the world's great composers.
                   In the nineteenth century, the name became very popular in
                   England, perhaps because of James Barrie's Peter Pan.
    Famous names:  Peter Jennings (broadcast journalist)
                   Peter O'Toole (actor)
                   Peter Sellers (actor)
                   Peter Ustinov (actor)
       Nicknames:  Pete, Petey, Petie
      Variations:  Ferris (Celtic), Parnel, Peadair (Scottish), Pearson, Peder
                   (Scandinavian), Pedro (Spanish), Peers, Per (Swedish),
                   Perico, Periquin, Perkin, Pernell, Pero (Spanish), Perrin,
                   Perry, Peters, Petr (Russian), Petrick, Petrie, Petronio,
                   Petronius (Latin), Petros (Greek), Petruccio (Italian),
                   Petrus (German), Petruscha (Russian), Peyo, Pico, Piedro,
                   Pierce, Pierin, Piero (Italian), Pierre, Pierrot (French),
                   Piers, Piet, Pieter (Dutch), Pietro (Italian), Piquin,
                   Piter, Pjotr, Pyotr (Slavic)

Peters (see Peter)

Petey, Petie (see Peter)

Petr (see Peter)

Petrice (see Patrick)

Petrick (see Peter)

Petrie (see Peter)

Petronio (see Peter)

Petronius (see Peter)

Petros (see Peter)

Petruccio (see Peter)

Petrus (see Peter)

Petruscha (see Peter)

Peyo (see Peter)

Peyton (see Patrick)

Phelis (see Felix)

Phil               Form of Philip.
    Famous names:  Phil Collins (singer)
                   Phil Donahue (talk-show host)
                   Phil Mahre (skier)
                   Phil Silvers (actor)

Philip, Phillip    Greek philippos, "horse lover."  In the New Testament,
                   Philip was one of the apostles.  Philip of Macedon was the
                   father of Alexander the Great.  In both France and Spain,
                   the name has a long association with royalty, including
                   six French and five Spanish kings.  The most famous was
                   Philip II, who united the Iberian peninsula and ruled over
                   an empire that also included Milan, Naples, Sicily, the
                   Netherlands, and much of the New World.  In England today,
                   Philip Mountbatten is the consort of Queen Elizabeth II and
                   the duke of Edinburgh.
    Famous names:  Philip Johnson (architect)
                   Philip Roth (writer)
                   Philip Sheridan (Civil War general)
                   Sir Philip Sidney (poet)
       Nicknames:  Flip, Phil
      Variations:  Feeleep, Felip, Felipe (Spanish), Felipo, Felippe, Felippo
                   (Italian), Felupe, Filib (Irish), Filip (Swedish),
                   Filipino, Filippe, Filippo (Italian), Philips, Philipp
                   (German), Philippe (French), Philippos (Greek), Phillips,
                   Pilib (Irish), Pip, Pippo

Philippe (see Philip)

Philippos (see Philip)

Philips, Phillips (see Philip)

Photios (see Franklin)

Pico (see Peter)

Piedro (see Peter)

Pierce             Variation of Peter.
    Famous names:  Pierce Brosnan (actor)
                   Pierce Butler (U.S. Supreme Court justice)

Pierin (see Peter)

Piero (see Peter)

Pierre             French form of Peter.
    Famous names:  Pierre Corneille (author)
                   Pierre Curie (scientist)
                   Pierre Renoir (painter)

Pierrot (see Peter)

Piers (see Peter)

Piet (see Peter)

Pieter (see Peter)

Pietro (see Peter)

Pilib (see Philip)

Pip (see Philip)

Pipito (see Joseph)

Pippo (see Philip)

Piquin (see Peter)

Piter (see Peter)

Pito (see Felix)

Pitricio (see Patrick)

Pjotr (see Peter)

Placedo (see Placido)

Placi (see Placido)

Placido            Latin "pleasing."
     Famous name:  Placido Domingo (singer)
       Nicknames:  Placi, Plasio
      Variations:  Palacido, Placedo, Plesido

Plasio (see Placido)

Plato              Greek "broad shouldered."  The famous Greek philosopher
                   Plato was a student of Socrates and the teacher of
                   Aristotle.  The name is popular with Greek-Americans.

Plesido (see Placido)

Pol (see Paul)

Polin (see Paul)

Poncho (see Alphonse)

Ponso (see Alphonse)

Pranas (see Frank)

Preston            Old English "priest's town."

Prince             Latin "the first."

Pursey (see Percival)

Purvis             Latin "provider."

Pyotr (see Peter)