The surname Pasqua is of anthroponymic origin and derives from the personal name Pasqua, originally given to children born during the Christian feast of Easter. On this point E. De Felice and F. De Laurentiis agree, noting that the name comes from the Christian Latin Pascha, in turn an adaptation of the Greek Pascha and of the Hebrew pesah, tied to the Passover rite.

Both authors further stress that, although Pasqua is formally feminine, it was frequently used as a masculine name in its derived forms. In this way the surname reflects the transformation of a name of religious and auspicious character into a hereditary surname, in line with the Italian onomastic tradition.