2000
#9,362
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,193
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.18
Rare Last name
Pasley
A Scottish locational surname derived from a place in Dumfriesshire, likely meaning "peasant's meadow" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,410 Americans carry the last name Pasley. That puts it at #10,308 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 100,514 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pasley surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Pasley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 100,514
Census rank
#10,308
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,974 bearers of the surname Pasley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10308th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pasley, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.0%. The next largest groups are Black (26.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pasley
The surname Pasley has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Scottish Gaelic phrase "preas lìth" or "preas lìdh," which translates to "smooth thicket" or "smooth meadow." This suggests that the name may have originated from a location or geographical feature.
The earliest recorded mention of the name Pasley can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were a series of feudal homage rolls recording the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Paisley," suggesting a connection to the town of Paisley in Renfrewshire, Scotland.
In the 14th century, the name Pasley was associated with a prominent Scottish family who held lands in Renfrewshire and were known as the Pasleys of Riccarton. One notable member of this family was Walter Pasley, who served as a diplomat and ambassador for King James IV of Scotland in the late 15th and early 16th centuries.
The Pasley name also appeared in various English records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1221, where it was recorded as "Payseleu." This may indicate that the name had spread to other parts of the British Isles by that time.
In the 17th century, a prominent figure with the surname Pasley was Sir Thomas Pasley (1597-1668), who was a Scottish military commander and served as the Governor of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Another notable individual was Admiral Sir Thomas Pasley (1734-1808), a British naval officer who played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars.
Other historical figures with the surname Pasley include Sir Charles Pasley (1824-1890), a British military engineer and author of works on fortification and military tactics, and Sir Lynden Pindling (1930-2000), a Bahamian politician who served as the first Prime Minister of the Bahamas from 1967 to 1992, with his original surname being Pasley.
While the surname Pasley has connections to various locations and individuals throughout history, it is firmly rooted in its Scottish origins, with its earliest mentions and most prominent bearers hailing from that region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pasley
Among Census respondents with the surname Pasley, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.0%. The next largest groups are Black (26.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Pasley bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Pasley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.0% · 1,934
- Black or African American26.4% · 786
- Two or more races4.5% · 134
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pasley
Pasley appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#9,320
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,493
+300 bearers (+9.4%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Up 42 places
2020
#10,308
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,974
-519 bearers (-14.9%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 988 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,362 | 3,193 | 1.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,320 | 3,493 | 1.18 | +300 bearers (+9.4%) | Up 42 places |
| 2020 | #10,308 | 2,974 | 0.99 | -519 bearers (-14.9%) | Down 988 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Pasley surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,320 | #10,308 | -10.6% |
| Count | 3,493 | 2,974 | -14.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.18 | 0.99 | -15.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pasley bearers went from 3,493 to 2,974 (-14.9% change). The surname moved down 988 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,320 to #10,308.
FAQ
Pasley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pasley?
Name Census estimates that about 3,410 living Americans carry the surname Pasley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 100,514 residents.
How common is Pasley?
Pasley ranks #10,308 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,974 people with the surname Pasley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,410), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Pasley.
Has Pasley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pasley went from 3,493 recorded bearers to 2,974. That is a decrease of 519 (-14.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,320 to #10,308.
What does the Census say about the background of Pasley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pasley, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.0%. The next largest groups are Black (26.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pasley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.0% (1,934 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pasley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.0%), Black (26.4%), Two or More Races (4.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Pasley (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Pasley mean?
A Scottish locational surname derived from a place in Dumfriesshire, likely meaning "peasant's meadow" in Old English. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Pasley (0.99 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Pasley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.