Paraskevas is of Greek origin, meaning 'Friday'. It is derived from the Greek word 'Paraskevi', which is itself a variant of the Latin 'Parascveva', meaning 'preparation'. This name has been traditionally used in Greece and Cyprus, and is often associated with the Greek Orthodox Church. Paraskevas is also known as one of the Seven Maccabees in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
In 2004 alone, there were five babies named Paraskevas, making up all of the recorded instances of that name for that year.