Paisley
Paisley was the 67th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 3,508 babies. Its best year was 2015, when it ranked 45th with 5,091 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 22 places. More babies were named Paisley in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin uncertain · Scottish Gaelic, Brythonic
Say it PAYZ-lee /ˈpeɪzli/
- Rank in 2025
- #67 girls, down 18 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 3,508girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20155,091 babies
- Total since 1880
- 65,456babies recorded
What does the name Paisley mean?
Paisley is the name of a town near Glasgow in Scotland. Its Gaelic form is Pàislig, which Wiktionary glosses 'pasture'; Wikipedia, on the other hand, calls the town name's origin uncertain, noting that some sources trace it to a Gaelic or Cumbric word for a church, borrowed from Latin basilica. Either way, it does not contain the English -ley ending, despite spellings like Paisleigh. The town gave its name to the teardrop paisley pattern, after its 19th-century shawl industry. As a girl's name it is a recent American use, popular from the 2000s.
Pàislig (Scottish Gaelic, “Paisley (glossed 'pasture' by Wiktionary)”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. The place-name etymology is disputed: 'pasture' (Wiktionary) versus a Brittonic word for 'church' from Latin basilica.
Related names: Paislee, Paisleigh, Paislie.
See also: Scottish names, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Paisley', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Paisley, Renfrewshire', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Paisley (name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Paisley popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 87 since 2011, 5 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #67 | 3,508 |
| 2020 | #49 | 4,380 |
| 2010 | #238 | 1,328 |
| 2000 | #1,919 | 89 |
| 1990 | #2,426 | 51 |
| 1980 | #8,791 | 7 |
| 1970 | #6,201 | 8 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Paisley, counting every spelling?
Paisley is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #68 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #67 for Paisley on its own. Together these spellings went to 4,046 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paisley | 3,508 | #67 | 19,166 |
| Paislee | 423 | #669 | 2,814 |
| Paizley | 40 | #3,761 | 252 |
| Paizlee | 28 | #4,843 | 206 |
| Payslee | 16 | #7,061 | 81 |
| Paislie | 11 | #9,314 | 80 |
| Payzlee | — | — | 46 |
| Paisly | 8 | #11,675 | 33 |
| Paisli | — | — | 28 |
| Paysley | 7 | #12,865 | 27 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Paisley?
3,508 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Paisley (0.97 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Paisley born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 2 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Paisley.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Paisley?
About 64,900 people born in the US named Paisley are alive today, with a median age of 9; half are between 5 and 12. That makes Paisley a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Paisley by state
How common Paisley was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Wyoming (5.5×), Vermont (4.7×), West Virginia (4.7×), Montana (3.7×), South Dakota (3.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Jersey, California, Massachusetts.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Paisley: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Paisley, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Paisley · Sibling names for Paisley
Questions about the name Paisley
What does Paisley mean?
The origin of Paisley is uncertain: the place-name etymology is disputed: 'pasture' (Wiktionary) versus a Brittonic word for 'church' from Latin basilica.
How popular is the name Paisley?
Paisley was the 67th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 3,508 babies. Its best year was 2015, when it ranked 45th with 5,091 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 22 places. More babies were named Paisley in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Paisley a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Paisley in the US.
Where is Paisley most popular?
In 2021–2025, Paisley was most common in Wyoming (12.90 per 1,000 girls), followed by Vermont and West Virginia.