Paisley
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- PAYZ-lee
- Origin
- Scottish
- UK rank, 2025
- #239 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #67 for girls
Paisley is a girls' name of Scottish origin. In 2025 it ranked 239th for girls in the UK (216 babies) and 67th for girls in the US (3,508 babies).
What does Paisley mean?
Scottish: from the town of Paisley near Glasgow
From the Scottish town whose weaving mills gave their name to the teardrop-shaped paisley pattern.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Paisley a girl's or a boy's name?
Paisley is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 216 girls in the UK and 3,508 girls and 5 boys in the US.
How popular is Paisley in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 239th among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 216 about 1 in 1,300 girls
- Five-year trend
- Falling down 33% in five years
- Same name in a class
- 1.1% chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 216 girls in the UK were named Paisley, making it the 239th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 155th. Its busiest year was 2017, with 383 girls.
Half of all the girls named Paisley in the UK since 1996 were born between 2016 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 230 girls in the UK were given Paisley or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #232, up from #239 for this spelling alone.
Among girls in 2025, it was 226th in England and Wales and 359th in Scotland.
Paisley in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 216 | #239 |
| 2024 | 216 | #244 |
| 2023 | 269 | #205 |
| 2022 | 307 | #183 |
| 2021 | 344 | #171 |
| 2020 | 374 | #155 |
| 2019 | 345 | #169 |
| 2018 | 329 | #180 |
| 2017 | 383 | #161 |
| 2016 | 368 | #170 |
| 2015 | 127 | #401 |
| 2014 | 74 | #614 |
| 2013 | 50 | #816 |
| 2012 | 40 | #978 |
| 2011 | 28 | #1,238 |
| 2010 | 28 | #1,229 |
| 2009 | 27 | #1,212 |
| 2008 | 16 | #1,745 |
| 2007 | 25 | #1,204 |
| 2006 | 17 | #1,545 |
| 2005 | 24 | #1,128 |
| 2004 | 11 | #1,949 |
| 2003 | 26 | #997 |
| 2002 | 13 | #1,553 |
| 2001 | 16 | #1,325 |
| 2000 | 19 | #1,137 |
| 1999 | 14 | #1,415 |
| 1998 | 22 | #1,049 |
| 1997 | 38 | #719 |
| 1996 | 43 | #622 |
How popular is Paisley in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 67th among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 3,508 about 1 in 460 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 17% in five years
- Same name in a class
- 3% chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 3,508 girls in the US were named Paisley, making it the 67th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 49th. Its busiest year was 2015, with 5,091 girls. It first appears in the records in 1966. 5 boys were also named Paisley in 2025 (12,003rd for boys).
It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 5 years. 2025 had fewer girls named Paisley than any year since 2012.
Half of all the girls named Paisley in the US since 1880 were born between 2014 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 4,300 girls in the US were given Paisley or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #61, up from #67 for this spelling alone.
Paisley in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,508 | #67 |
| 2024 | 3,554 | #61 |
| 2023 | 3,749 | #56 |
| 2022 | 4,056 | #53 |
| 2021 | 4,299 | #52 |
| 2020 | 4,380 | #49 |
| 2019 | 4,280 | #53 |
| 2018 | 4,366 | #52 |
| 2017 | 4,958 | #45 |
| 2016 | 4,883 | #46 |
| 2015 | 5,091 | #45 |
| 2014 | 4,501 | #53 |
| 2013 | 3,607 | #80 |
| 2012 | 2,924 | #104 |
| 2011 | 1,644 | #194 |
| 2010 | 1,328 | #238 |
| 2009 | 1,023 | #319 |
| 2008 | 700 | #450 |
| 2007 | 491 | #612 |
| 2006 | 327 | #825 |
| 2005 | 228 | #1,046 |
| 2004 | 183 | #1,215 |
| 2003 | 99 | #1,857 |
| 2002 | 109 | #1,682 |
| 2001 | 100 | #1,774 |
| 2000 | 89 | #1,896 |
| 1999 | 59 | #2,435 |
| 1998 | 54 | #2,527 |
| 1997 | 50 | #2,553 |
| 1996 | 56 | #2,337 |
| 1995 | 69 | #1,977 |
| 1994 | 83 | #1,752 |
| 1993 | 93 | #1,626 |
| 1992 | 81 | #1,778 |
| 1991 | 58 | #2,236 |
| 1990 | 51 | #2,397 |
| 1989 | 39 | #2,804 |
| 1988 | 34 | #2,982 |
| 1987 | 28 | #3,254 |
| 1986 | 23 | #3,643 |
| 1985 | 10 | #6,455 |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 8 | #7,467 |
| 1981 | 7 | #8,126 |
| 1980 | 7 | #8,177 |
| 1979 | 0 | – |
| 1978 | 16 | #4,242 |
| 1977 | 10 | #5,886 |
| 1976 | 5 | #9,282 |
| 1975 | 0 | – |
| 1974 | 6 | #7,678 |
| 1973 | 6 | #7,433 |
| 1972 | 6 | #7,290 |
| 1971 | 0 | – |
| 1970 | 8 | #5,817 |
| 1969 | 8 | #5,455 |
| 1968 | 7 | #5,641 |
| 1967 | 5 | #6,803 |
| 1966 | 5 | #6,563 |
Names like Paisley
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Riley, Harper, Isla, Aubrey, Miley, Lainey, Myla, Lyra, Willow, Mila, Poppy, Zara
Other spellings of Paisley
Paislee, Paisleigh, Paizley, Paizlee, Payslee, Paislie, Paisly, Paislei, Paysley, Paizleigh, Paisely
Names related to Paisley
More Scottish names
Finley, Logan, Arabella, Cameron, Bonnie, Brody, Carson, Maxwell, Brodie, Finlay, Blair, Lennox, Skye, Knox, Dallas, Lochlan
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Paisley: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/paisley, updated 20 October 2026.