NameCensus.
Very Rare

Paysen

A masculine name of German origin meaning "small village".

Name Census estimates that about 289 living Americans carry the first name Paysen. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 67.4% of registrations being female. The average person named Paysen today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Paysen births was 2012 (42 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Paysen. 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

289

~ 1 in 1,186,001 Americans

Peak year

2012

42 babies that year

Average age

11

years old

2024 SSA rank

#13,686

Tracked since 2005

Gender

Gender distribution for Paysen

Paysen is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 291 total registrations, 95 (32.6%) were male and 196 (67.4%) were female.

33% male
67% female
Male95 (32.6%)Female196 (67.4%)

Paysen as a male name

  • Ranked #13,686 in 2024
  • 5 male births in 2024
  • Peak: 2016 (10 births)

Paysen as a female name

  • Ranked #14,805 in 2024
  • 6 female births in 2024
  • Peak: 2012 (35 births)

Popularity

Paysen: popularity over time

The SSA tracks Paysen 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 218 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

MaleFemale
0112132422005201020152020

Decades

Paysen 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 Paysen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
2000s11718
2010s58160218
2020s262955

Origin

Meaning and history of Paysen

The name Paysen is of Nordic origin, with its roots dating back to the Viking era of Scandinavia. The name is believed to be derived from the Old Norse word "paysi," which translates to "warrior" or "fighter." This suggests that Paysen was initially given to individuals who displayed bravery and strength in battle.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Paysen can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, a collection of stories that document the lives and exploits of Norse settlers in Iceland during the 9th and 10th centuries. In these sagas, Paysen is mentioned as the name of a fierce Viking warrior who fought alongside legendary figures like Erik the Red and Leif Erikson.

During the Middle Ages, the name Paysen gained popularity across Scandinavia, particularly in Denmark and Norway. It was often associated with nobility and military prowess, as many noble families chose to bestow this name upon their sons in the hopes of instilling courage and valor.

One notable figure in history who bore the name Paysen was Paysen Thorvaldsson, a Danish explorer and navigator who accompanied Leif Erikson on his journey to Vinland (modern-day Newfoundland, Canada) in the early 11th century. Thorvaldsson is credited with being one of the first Europeans to set foot on the North American continent.

Another prominent individual named Paysen was Paysen Haakonsson, a Norwegian warlord and chieftain who lived during the 12th century. Haakonsson was renowned for his military tactics and leadership, and his exploits were chronicled in the Heimskringla, a celebrated work of medieval Icelandic literature.

In the 13th century, a Swedish noble named Paysen Andersson played a significant role in the formation of the Kalmar Union, a series of personal unions that united the kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden under a single monarch. Andersson's diplomatic efforts and political acumen contributed to the unification of Scandinavia during this period.

As the centuries passed, the name Paysen gradually fell out of favor in Scandinavian countries, though it continued to be used sporadically. In the 19th century, a Norwegian artist named Paysen Olsen gained recognition for his landscape paintings depicting the rugged beauty of his homeland.

While the name Paysen may not be as common today as it once was, its rich history and connections to the Viking era and the brave warriors of Scandinavia remain an integral part of its legacy.

People

Paysen + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Paysen 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

Paysen: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Paysen?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 289 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Paysen 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 1,186,001 US residents.

Is Paysen a common name?

We classify Paysen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 291 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Paysen most popular?

The single biggest year for Paysen was 2012, when 42 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Paysen is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.

Is Paysen a female name?

Yes, 67.4% of people registered as Paysen 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.

N
Name Census
namecensus.com

There are 289 people

with the first name

Paysen

Look up any American name

Share this result