Pasha
A Russian diminutive variant of the name Paul or Pavel.
Name Census estimates that about 857 living Americans carry the first name Pasha. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 55.6% of registrations being female. The average person named Pasha today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pasha births was 1991 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pasha. 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.
Key insights
- • Pasha was once a predominantly female name but has become increasingly popular for boys in recent decades.
People living today
857
~ 1 in 399,947 Americans
Peak year
1991
27 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,771
Tracked since 1964
Gender
Gender distribution for Pasha
Pasha is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 895 total registrations, 397 (44.4%) were male and 498 (55.6%) were female.
Pasha as a male name
- Ranked #8,771 in 2024
- 9 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2019 (19 births)
Pasha as a female name
- Ranked #18,208 in 2016
- 5 female births in 2016
- Peak: 1974 (24 births)
Popularity
Pasha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Pasha from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 177 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Pasha 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 Pasha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Pashas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Pasha
The name Pasha has its origins in the Persian language, and it is derived from the word "pādshāh," which means "king" or "sovereign." The name's roots can be traced back to ancient Persia, where it was used as a title for rulers and prominent figures.
In the context of the Ottoman Empire, the title Pasha was bestowed upon high-ranking military and administrative officials. During the height of the Ottoman Empire, which spanned from the 14th to the early 20th century, the term Pasha held significant importance and was a mark of prestige and authority.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Pasha can be found in the 16th century, when Pasha Sokollu, also known as Mehmed Pasha Sokolović, served as the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire from 1565 to 1579. He played a pivotal role in the expansion and consolidation of Ottoman power during his tenure.
Another notable figure bearing the name Pasha was Mehmet Emin Pasha, also known as Emin Pasha, who lived from 1840 to 1892. He was a German-born explorer and governor of the Equatorial Province in modern-day Democratic Republic of the Congo during the late 19th century.
In the 18th century, Ali Pasha, also known as the Lion of Ioannina, was a renowned Ottoman Albanian ruler who governed the western part of the Ottoman Empire from 1788 to 1822. His exploits and defiance against the Ottoman Sultan have been immortalized in literature and folklore.
In the realm of art and literature, the name Pasha is associated with the famous Russian writer and playwright Alexander Griboyedov, whose full name was Alexander Sergeyevich Griboyedov Pasha (1795-1829). His play "Woe from Wit" is considered a masterpiece of Russian literature.
Another notable figure was Mustafa Kemal Pasha, better known as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938), the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey. He played a pivotal role in the Turkish War of Independence and was instrumental in the establishment of the modern Turkish state.
While the name Pasha has its roots in the Persian and Ottoman cultures, it has since transcended its historical origins and is now used as a given name across various cultures and regions around the world.
People
Pasha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pasha 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
Pasha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pasha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 857 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pasha 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 399,947 US residents.
Is Pasha a common name?
We classify Pasha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 895 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pasha most popular?
The single biggest year for Pasha was 1991, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pasha is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Pasha a female name?
Yes, 55.6% of people registered as Pasha 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.