Persais
A feminine Persian name meaning "Like Venus, the goddess of love".
Name Census estimates that about 89 living Americans carry the first name Persais. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Persais today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Persais births was 2013 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Persais. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Persais. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
89
~ 1 in 3,851,172 Americans
Peak year
2013
12 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2017 SSA rank
#17,818
Tracked since 2005
Popularity
Persais: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Persais from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 47 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Persais 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 Persais 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 Persais
The name Persais is believed to have originated from the ancient Greek language, with its roots dating back to the Classical period of ancient Greece, around the 5th century BCE. It is derived from the Greek word "Persais," which means "from Persia" or "Persian." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to individuals who had connections to the Persian Empire or were of Persian descent.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Persais can be found in the works of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who lived in the 5th century BCE. In his writings, he mentions a Persian prince named Persais, who was a member of the Achaemenid dynasty that ruled over the Persian Empire.
During the Hellenistic period, which spanned from the 4th to the 1st century BCE, the name Persais gained popularity among Greeks living in regions that were once part of the Persian Empire or had close ties with Persian culture. This period witnessed the spread of Greek influence across the ancient world, including parts of modern-day Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia.
In the later centuries, the name Persais made its way into the Byzantine Empire, where it was used by both Greeks and those of Persian descent living within the empire's borders. One notable figure bearing this name was Persais of Constantinople, a 6th-century Byzantine scholar and philosopher who wrote extensively on topics such as metaphysics and logic.
Another individual of historical significance was Persais of Antioch, a 5th-century Christian bishop and theologian who played a crucial role in the christological debates of his time. His writings and teachings had a significant impact on the development of early Christian doctrine.
During the Middle Ages, the name Persais was relatively uncommon but can be found in certain historical records and chronicles. One example is Persais of Tarsus, a 12th-century scholar and translator who was instrumental in bringing ancient Greek philosophical texts to the attention of the Islamic world.
In the Renaissance period, the name Persais experienced a resurgence among intellectuals and humanists who had a deep appreciation for classical Greek and Persian culture. One notable figure was Persais Smirnaeus, a 16th-century Greek scholar and poet who lived in Venice and was renowned for his mastery of ancient Greek literature.
People
Persais + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Persais 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
Persais: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Persais?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 89 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Persais 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 3,851,172 US residents.
Is Persais a common name?
We classify Persais as "Very Rare". It ranks above 62.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 90 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Persais most popular?
The single biggest year for Persais was 2013, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Persais is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Persais a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Persais 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.