Paislea
A Scottish feminine name derived from the name of a town in Renfrewshire, Scotland.
Name Census estimates that about 94 living Americans carry the first name Paislea. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Paislea today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Paislea births was 2014 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Paislea. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Paislea with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Paislea. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
94
~ 1 in 3,646,323 Americans
Peak year
2014
14 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2022 SSA rank
#13,232
Tracked since 2010
Popularity
Paislea: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Paislea from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 78 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Paislea 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 Paislea 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 Paislea
The given name Paislea finds its origins in the ancient Celtic languages spoken in the British Isles, particularly in the regions of modern-day Scotland and Ireland. Linguistic scholars trace its roots to the Gaelic word "pailse," which means "garden" or "orchard." This connection suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon individuals born or residing in areas renowned for their lush greenery and fertile lands.
While the precise origins of the name remain somewhat shrouded in the mists of time, historical records indicate that variations of the name, such as "Paisley" and "Paisleia," were in use as early as the 12th century. One of the earliest documented instances is found in the annals of the Paisley Abbey, a renowned monastery founded in Renfrewshire, Scotland, in 1163. This abbatial connection lends an air of ecclesiastical significance to the name's heritage.
Throughout the centuries, several notable figures have borne the name Paislea. One of the most prominent was Paislea MacKenzie, a Scottish noblewoman born in 1547, who played a pivotal role in the political intrigues of the Scottish court during the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots. Another notable bearer was Paislea O'Donnell, an Irish poet and bard from the 17th century, renowned for her lyrical compositions celebrating the beauty of the Irish countryside.
In the realm of religious history, the name Paislea is associated with Saint Paislea of Iona, a 9th-century Scottish nun and scholar who dedicated her life to preserving ancient manuscripts and fostering learning on the sacred isle of Iona. Her contributions to the preservation of knowledge and wisdom earned her a revered place in Scottish ecclesiastical tradition.
Beyond the British Isles, the name Paislea also found its way into literary circles. Paislea Beaumont, a 19th-century American novelist and essayist, gained recognition for her poignant works exploring themes of love, loss, and the human condition. Her acclaimed novel, "The Gardens of Memory," is widely regarded as a masterpiece of its era.
While these examples serve to illustrate the rich tapestry of history associated with the name Paislea, it is important to note that historical records from ancient times can be fragmented and incomplete. Nevertheless, the enduring presence of this name throughout the centuries speaks to its cultural significance and the enduring appeal of its connection to nature and the fertile landscapes of the British Isles.
People
Paislea + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Paislea 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
Paislea: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Paislea?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 94 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Paislea 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 3,646,323 US residents.
Is Paislea a common name?
We classify Paislea as "Very Rare". It ranks above 63.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 95 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Paislea most popular?
The single biggest year for Paislea was 2014, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Paislea is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Paislea in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Paislea a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Paislea 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.
Is Paislea still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Paislea in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Paislea can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Paislea?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Paislea, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.