Parsa
Of Persian origin, meaning "generous, benevolent, noble".
Name Census estimates that about 712 living Americans carry the first name Parsa. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Parsa today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Parsa births was 2003 (37 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Parsa. 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
712
~ 1 in 481,397 Americans
Peak year
2003
37 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,821
Tracked since 1988
Popularity
Parsa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Parsa from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 261 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Parsa remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Parsa 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 Parsa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Parsas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Parsa
The name Parsa has its origins in the Persian language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Old Persian word "parsa," which means "Persian" or "of Persian descent." This name was commonly used among the ancient Persians, who inhabited the region now known as Iran.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Parsa can be found in the Behistun Inscription, a famous multilingual inscription carved on a rock face in present-day Iran. The inscription, created by the Achaemenid Persian king Darius the Great in the 5th century BCE, mentions the name Parsa multiple times in reference to the Persian people and their homeland.
Throughout Persian history, the name Parsa has been associated with various notable figures. One of the most prominent individuals bearing this name was Parsa Veh, a 7th-century Persian general who played a crucial role in the defense of the Sassanid Empire against the invading Arab forces.
Another notable figure with the name Parsa was Parsa Kashan, a 16th-century Persian poet and calligrapher known for his exceptional skill in the art of penmanship. His works are still celebrated and studied by calligraphers and scholars alike.
In the realm of Islamic scholarship, Parsa Bokhari was a renowned 13th-century Persian scholar and Sufi mystic. He authored several influential works on Islamic jurisprudence and Sufism, contributing significantly to the intellectual and spiritual traditions of the time.
During the Safavid Dynasty, which ruled over Persia from the 16th to the 18th century, the name Parsa was borne by Parsa Mirza, a prominent prince and military commander. He played a key role in the expansion and consolidation of the Safavid Empire's territories.
Beyond Persian borders, the name Parsa has also found use in other cultures and regions influenced by Persian civilization. In Central Asia, for instance, the name has been used by various individuals, such as Parsa Khan, a 17th-century ruler of the Khanate of Khiva, located in present-day Uzbekistan.
People
Parsa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Parsa 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
Parsa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Parsa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 712 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Parsa 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 481,397 US residents.
Is Parsa a common name?
We classify Parsa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 721 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Parsa most popular?
The single biggest year for Parsa was 2003, when 37 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Parsa is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Parsa a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Parsa in the SSA data are male. 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.