Gender Masculine
Pronounced Pron. PUR-si-vəl(English)  [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

Created by the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes for his poem Perceval, the Story of the Grail. Chrétien may have derived the name from Old French perce val "pierce the valley", or he may have based it loosely on the Welsh name Peredur [1]. In the poem Perceval is a boy from Wales who hopes to become a knight under King Arthur. Setting out to prove himself, he eventually comes to the castle of the Fisher King and is given a glimpse of the Grail.

Related Names

VariantsParsifal, Parzival, Perceval(Arthurian Romance)
DiminutivePercy(English)

Popularity

People think this name is

classic   mature   formal   upper class   wholesome   strong   refined   strange   complex   serious  

Categories

Sources & References

  1. Bromwich, Rachel. Trioedd Ynys Prydein: The Triads of the Island of Britain. 4th ed., University of Wales, 2014, page 478.
Entry updated December 7, 2022