name
Percival
PUR-sih-vuhl
Percival (name) means a male forename originating from the Celtic languages.
name
1
A male forename originating from the Celtic languages.
"Lancelot Fortescue! What a name! And what was the other son - Percival? He wondered what the first Mrs Fortescue had been like? She had a curious taste in Christian names..."
— Agatha Christie (1953)
2
A family name that began as a patronymic.
3
An unincorporated community and census-designated place in Fremont County, Iowa, United States.
4
A former hamlet in Saskatchewan, Canada.
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Etymology
From Old French Perceval, name of a knight in a twelfth century Arthurian romance by the French poet Chrétien de Troyes. Shaped like Old French percier (“pierce”) + val (“valley”), but probably representing some Gaulish or Old Welsh name, possibly related to Welsh Peredur, from ber (“spear, lance”) (from Middle Welsh ber, from Proto-Brythonic *ber, from Proto-Celtic *beru (“spit”)) + dur (“hard metal, steel”) (see Latin durus). Cognate with German Parzival and Parsifal.
Class of 1100
Percival joined the language around 1100.
See the full Class of 1100 →
Rhymes for Percival
See all rhymes for Percival →Frequently asked questions
What does “Percival” mean?
The word “Percival” means a male given name from the Celtic languages.
How do you pronounce “Percival”?
“Percival” is pronounced PUR-sih-vuhl (/ˈpɜː(ɹ)sɪvəl/ in IPA).
How do you use “Percival” in a sentence?
Here is “Percival” used in a sentence: “Lancelot Fortescue! What a name! And what was the other son - Percival? He wondered what the first Mrs Fortescue had been like? She had a curious taste in Christian names.”
What part of speech is “Percival”?
“Percival” is a name.
Where does the word “Percival” come from?
The word “Percival” dates back to around 1100 and comes from Latin.
How many meanings does “Percival” have?
“Percival” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a male given name from the Celtic languages.
