Pavel is a distinctive choice, ranked #1705 in 2025. Your child is likely to be the only Pavel in their class.
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UK Rank 2025
#1705
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About the Name Pavel
Pavel has seen a notable decline in recent years, dropping 760 places in five years. It was most popular in 2020 at #1192 — parents choosing it today are making a deliberately counter-trend decision. The name has been a regular feature in UK records since 1999.
Pavel is uncommon in the UK, so your child is very likely to be the only Pavel in their class.
⭐ Famous People Named Pavel
Pavel Prigozhin — Pavel Yevgenyevich Prigozhin is a Russian businessman and mercenary who has led the Wagner Group since 2023.
Petr Pavel — Petr Pavel is a Czech politician and retired army general, currently serving as the fourth president of the Czech Republic, in office since March 2023.
Pavel Nedvěd — Pavel Nedvěd is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Pavel
Unlikely. With around 15 UK babies named Pavel per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Pavel in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Pavel is declining: down 513 places since 2020, to #1,705 in 2025. It peaked at #1,192 in 2020.
Pavel is a distinctive choice sitting outside the mainstream UK top names. Parents choosing less common names often find their children appreciate the individuality as they grow up, rarely needing to add an initial to distinguish themselves.
Notable people named Pavel include: Pavel Prigozhin, Petr Pavel and Pavel Nedvěd. Short summaries for each appear below.
Pavel does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice — your child is unlikely to encounter American Pavels in the wild.
15
UK babies named Pavel (2025)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↓ 513 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Pavel
Almost certainly the only Pavel in the class
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UK Popularity (1999–2025)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
No US data available for this name
✨ Similar names to Pavel
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Petr Pavel is a Czech politician and retired army general, currently serving as the fourth president of the Czech Republic, in office since March 2023.
Lăcrămioara Pavel is a Romanian and Canadian game theorist and electrical engineer whose research applies game theory to network controllability for communications networks and transport networks.
Pavel Nikolayevich Zavalny (Russian: Павел Николаевич Завальный) is a deputy for the United Russia party in the 7th State Duma of the Russian Federation.