Explore the Family Name Pal
The meaning of Pal
1. Indian (West Bengal) and Bangladeshi: Kayastha name, from Sanskrit pāla ‘protector, keeper, guard, herdsman’ (compare gopāla ‘cowherd’), an epithet of the god Krishna and a common personal name. A Pala dynasty that was founded by a certain Gopala in the 8th century ruled in Bengal and Bihar until the 12th century. 2. Hungarian (Pál): from the personal name Pál, Hungarian form of Paul. This surname is also found in Slovakia (mainly spelled Pál) and especially in Romania. 3. Slovenian and Croatian: of Hungarian origin (see 2 above) or from a Hungarian-influenced form of the Slovenian and Croatian equivalents of the personal name Paul (Slovenian Pavel, Croatian Pavao). Some characteristic forenames: Indian Sat, Ram, Dharam, Raj, Yash, Dilip, Ajay, Anil, Aruna, Chandra, Gopal, Indar.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Pal in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Pal has grown significantly in popularity from 2000 to 2010. The ranking of this surname jumped up by over 33 percent from 12,845 in 2000 to 8,570 in 2010. Additionally, the count of individuals bearing the Pal surname increased dramatically by 75 percent during this period, moving from 2,196 to 3,844. The proportion per 100k also saw a substantial rise of over 60 percent.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,845 | #8,570 | 33.28% |
| Count | 2,196 | 3,844 | 75.05% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.81 | 1.3 | 60.49% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Pal
Regarding ethnic identity associated with the Pal surname, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows interesting changes between 2000 and 2010. The largest group identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander grew from 58.11 percent to 69.35 percent, seeing an increase of nearly 20 percent. The category of two or more races saw a decrease of over 23 percent while the white demographic experienced a decrease of over 31 percent. The Hispanic category also declined by almost 35 percent. However, there was a slight increase in the Black group by almost 24 percent. A notable surge was observed in the American Indian and Alaskan Native category which increased by over 139 percent, although they still represent a minor segment of those with the Pal surname.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 58.11% | 69.35% | 19.34% |
| White | 28.42% | 19.56% | -31.18% |
| Two or More Races | 6.42% | 4.92% | -23.36% |
| Hispanic | 4.83% | 3.15% | -34.78% |
| Black | 2% | 2.47% | 23.5% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.23% | 0.55% | 139.13% |
Pal ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Pal is Bengali & Northeast Indian, which comprises 27.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Northern Indian & Pakistani (12.0%) and British & Irish (11.9%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, French & German, Ashkenazi Jewish, Greek & Balkan, and Southern Indian & Sri Lankan.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Bengali & Northeast Indian | 27.9% |
| Northern Indian & Pakistani | 12.0% |
| British & Irish | 11.9% |
| Other | 48.1% |
Possible origins of the surname Pal
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Pal have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 23.00% |
| County Durham, United Kingdom | 23.00% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 23.00% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 23.00% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 23.00% |
What Pal haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Pal is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Pal surname are: M, H1, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham
One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Pal have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Vanilla Ice Cream
Prefers vanilla flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Pal" Surname 63.2%
23andMe Users 36.7%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Pal" Surname 41.2%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Pal" Surname 26.9%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Pal" Surname 13.6%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Pal?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Pal are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition