Pasquale is a masculine
Italian given name and a
surname found all over
Italy. It is a cognate of the
French name
Pascal, the
Spanish Pascual, the
Portuguese Pascoal and the
Catalan Pasqual. Pasquale derives from the
Latin paschalis or
pashalis, which means "relating to
Easter", from Latin
pascha ("
Easter"),
Greek Πάσχα,
Aramaic pasḥā, in turn from the
Hebrew פֶּסַח, which means "to be born on, or to be associated with,
Passover day". Since the Hebrew holiday Passover coincides closely with the later Christian holiday of Easter, the Latin word came to be used for both occasions.