Frequency: (512)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
1. Indian (Bengal) and Bangladeshi: Hindu (Kayasth) 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 one 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 name is also found, spelled Pal, in Slovenia (Prekmurje) and northern and eastern Croatia.
GIVEN NAMES: Indian 61%. Sat (6), Ram (5), Dharam (4), Raj (4), Yash (4), Dilip (3), Ajay (2), Anil (2), Aruna (2), Chandra (2), Gopal (2), Indar (2).
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
