This is a medieval baptismal name developed into a surname over the years from "Pascal", which derives from the Latin Paschalis, from Pascha, Easter, via Greek and Aramaic from the Hebrew Pesach, Passover. As a given name, it was introduced into England by the French and became a popular name for those born at Easter. It was also given in honour of the 9th Century Pope and Saint who bore the name. Blaise Pascal (1623 - 1662), the French mathematician and philosopher, came from Clermont-Ferrand, where his father was president of the tax court. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Pascal. which was dated 1221, in the "Assize Rolls", Warwickshire. during the reign of King Henry 111, known as "The Frenchman", 1216 - 1272. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.