Paisly
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly meaning "church" or "churchyard".
Name Census estimates that about 206 living Americans carry the first name Paisly. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Paisly today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Paisly births was 2011 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Paisly. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
206
~ 1 in 1,663,856 Americans
Peak year
2011
21 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#17,025
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Paisly: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Paisly from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 139 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Paisly by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Paisly during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Paisly
The given name Paisly is thought to have originated in the region of Paisley, Scotland, a town situated near Glasgow. The name is believed to derive from the Brittonic Celtic words "pas" meaning basin or valley, and "ley" meaning a meadow or clearing. This suggests the name may have initially referred to a geographical location, likely describing the meadows or valleys surrounding the town.
The earliest recorded use of the name Paisly dates back to the 12th century, when it was mentioned in a charter granted by King David I of Scotland to the monastic community of Paisley Abbey in 1163. This charter referred to the lands and properties bestowed upon the abbey, located in the area known as "Paisley."
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Paisly remained closely associated with the town and its abbey, which grew in prominence as a major religious and cultural center in Scotland. During this period, several notable individuals bore the name, including Paisly of Renfrew (c. 1240-1302), a Scottish nobleman and landowner who held significant estates in the Paisley area.
As the town of Paisley became renowned for its textile industry, particularly in the production of Paisley shawls and patterned fabrics, the name gained further recognition. In the 18th and 19th centuries, several influential figures emerged from the Paisley textile trade, such as Paisly McMillan (1745-1823), a successful manufacturer and merchant.
Another notable figure was Paisly Stewart (1802-1876), a Scottish-born American entrepreneur who established the Paisly Stewart Woolen Mills in Philadelphia, contributing significantly to the textile industry in the United States.
In more recent history, the name Paisly has been associated with several influential individuals, including Paisly Parkin (1888-1961), a British author and journalist known for her works on women's rights and social issues, and Paisly Henderson (1919-2003), an American jazz musician and composer who played a pivotal role in the development of the bebop genre.
While the name Paisly has its roots in Scotland and was initially associated with the town and its textile industry, it has since gained popularity worldwide as a given name, transcending its geographical origins and taking on a more universal appeal.
People
Paisly + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Paisly as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Paisly: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Paisly?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 206 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Paisly going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,663,856 US residents.
Is Paisly a common name?
We classify Paisly as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 208 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Paisly most popular?
The single biggest year for Paisly was 2011, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Paisly is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Paisly a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Paisly in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.