Fun Facts About the Name Paisley
- A newer favorite: Paisley first entered the U.S. top 100 in 2013 and stayed there through 2025 - a run of 13 consecutive years.
- More than 65 thousand babies named Paisley: U.S. records list 65,412 babies given the name Paisley from 1880 through 2025. Even 87 boys received the name Paisley - about 1 boy for every 751 girls.
What Does the Name Paisley Mean?
Paisley is an English-language given name and surname taken from the town of Paisley in Renfrewshire, Scotland (Scottish Gaelic Pàislig). The place name goes back to a Brittonic, or Cumbric, word for a church, borrowed from Latin basilica, meaning "church" or "place of worship." That same Latin source lies behind church words elsewhere in the Brittonic languages, such as Welsh basle. The literal sense of the name is therefore "church," since the settlement was named for its church.
The given name is a transferred use of the Scottish surname, which in turn comes from the town; it has no separate root or meaning of its own. The textile pattern called paisley is not related to the name by etymology - the pattern simply took its name from the town at a later date.
Paisley Name History & Origins
The town of Paisley grew around Paisley Abbey, a religious house founded in the twelfth century in Renfrewshire, and the place appears in medieval forms such as Passelec and Passeleg, which reflect the Brittonic church word behind the modern spelling. From the town came the Scottish surname Paisley, borne by families in the west of Scotland. Paisley later became a major weaving center, and in the nineteenth century the curved, teardrop-shaped motif of imported Kashmiri and Persian shawls - originally a Persian and Indian design - became known in Britain as the paisley pattern, after local weavers produced imitations of those shawls.
The given name is a transferred use of the surname and place name, following the broad English-language practice of turning surnames and place names into first names. It began to appear more widely as a girl's name in the English-speaking world in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, especially in the United States. As a first name it is distinct from the textile term, which is still the more common everyday sense of the word.
How Popular is the Name Paisley?
Paisley recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2015. Paisley entered the top 100 U.S. girl names in 2013.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #67 | 3,508 | 0.2183% |
| 2024 | #61 | 3,542 | 0.2196% |
| 2023 | #56 | 3,743 | 0.2336% |
| 2022 | #53 | 4,048 | 0.2470% |
| 2021 | #52 | 4,295 | 0.2619% |
| 2020 | #49 | 4,377 | 0.2709% |
| 2019 | #53 | 4,277 | 0.2550% |
| 2018 | #52 | 4,365 | 0.2567% |
| 2017 | #45 | 4,957 | 0.2872% |
| 2016 | #46 | 4,882 | 0.2756% |
| 2015 | #45 | 5,089 | 0.2852% |
| 2014 | #53 | 4,501 | 0.2520% |
| 2013 | #80 | 3,605 | 0.2055% |
| 2012 | #104 | 2,923 | 0.1660% |
| 2011 | #194 | 1,644 | 0.0935% |
| 2010 | #238 | 1,328 | 0.0747% |
| 2009 | #319 | 1,023 | 0.0557% |
| 2008 | #450 | 700 | 0.0370% |
| 2007 | #613 | 491 | 0.0255% |
| 2006 | #826 | 327 | 0.0172% |
| 2005 | #1,049 | 228 | 0.0123% |
| 2004 | #1,218 | 183 | 0.0100% |
| 2003 | #1,871 | 99 | 0.0054% |
| 2002 | #1,692 | 109 | 0.0061% |
| 2001 | #1,790 | 100 | 0.0056% |
| 2000 | #1,919 | 89 | 0.0049% |
| 1999 | #2,460 | 59 | 0.0033% |
| 1998 | #2,558 | 54 | 0.0031% |
| 1997 | #2,582 | 50 | 0.0029% |
| 1996 | #2,363 | 56 | 0.0032% |
| 1995 | #1,999 | 69 | 0.0039% |
| 1994 | #1,766 | 83 | 0.0046% |
| 1993 | #1,635 | 93 | 0.0051% |
| 1992 | #1,795 | 81 | 0.0044% |
| 1991 | #2,261 | 58 | 0.0031% |
| 1990 | #2,426 | 51 | 0.0027% |
| 1989 | #2,852 | 39 | 0.0021% |
| 1988 | #3,019 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 1987 | #3,309 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 1986 | #3,729 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1985 | #6,806 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1982 | #7,995 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1981 | #8,762 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #8,791 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1978 | #4,397 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1977 | #6,204 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1976 | #10,409 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1974 | #8,404 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1973 | #8,119 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1972 | #7,948 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1970 | #6,201 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1969 | #5,829 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1968 | #6,070 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1967 | #7,546 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1966 | #7,316 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #13,390 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2024 | #11,928 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2023 | #13,639 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2021 | #11,770 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2020 | #8,550 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2019 | #10,524 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2018 | #9,439 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #6,998 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2016 | #13,674 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #11,761 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2013 | #10,440 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2011 | #7,368 | 11 | 0.0006% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Explore Name Lists Featuring Paisley
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How the Name Paisley Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have a power of expression, either in speaking or writing. You are in favor for studying and research. You are clever, clear-sighted and intellectual. You don't like to let others know your true feelings. You might be atheistic or agnostic. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Paisley's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Paisley's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.