Pasty
A slang term for a pale, unhealthy complexion.
Name Census estimates that about 85 living Americans carry the first name Pasty. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Pasty today is around 68 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pasty births was 1956 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pasty. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Pasty is about 68 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Pastys were born before 1968.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Pasty. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
85
~ 1 in 4,032,404 Americans
Peak year
1956
8 babies that year
Average age
68
years old
1975 SSA rank
#10,138
Tracked since 1927
Census
Pasty in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 346 people with the first name Pasty, which placed it at #26,749 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#26,749
National first-name rank
People counted
346
346 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
67.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pasty
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Pasty is White at 67.6%. The next largest groups are Black (17.9%) and Hispanic (6.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Pasty 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Pasty at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.6% · 234
- Black or African American17.9% · 62
- Hispanic or Latino6.6% · 23
- Two or more races2.9% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.3% · 8
Popularity
Pasty: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Pasty from the 1920s through to the 1970s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 62 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Pasty 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 Pasty 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 Pasty
The given name Pasty has its roots in the Latin word 'pasta', which means 'dough' or 'pastry'. The name is believed to have originated in the Mediterranean region during the Roman Empire, where pasta dishes were a staple in the diet. The earliest known reference to the name can be traced back to the 2nd century AD, in a Roman cookbook that mentions a dish called 'pasty'.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Pasty was a Roman baker named Pasty Maximus, who lived in the city of Pompeii during the 1st century AD. He was renowned for his delicious pastries and breads, and his bakery was a popular spot for residents and visitors alike.
In the 5th century, a Christian nun named Pasty of Arles became known for her charitable works and her devotion to the poor. She established a convent in the city of Arles, in present-day France, and is revered as a saint in the Catholic Church.
During the Middle Ages, the name Pasty gained popularity in various parts of Europe, particularly in England and France. One notable figure was Pasty the Jester, a court entertainer who served at the court of King Edward II of England in the early 14th century.
In the 15th century, a French knight named Pasty de Montfort gained fame for his bravery and skill in battle during the Hundred Years' War between England and France. He was celebrated in several contemporary chronicles and ballads.
Fast-forwarding to the 19th century, a British explorer named Pasty Wilkins embarked on several expeditions to the Arctic regions, contributing to the mapping and exploration of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. His journals and accounts of his voyages were widely read and admired in his time.
These are just a few examples of individuals who bore the name Pasty throughout history, ranging from bakers and saints to entertainers and explorers. While the name may not be as common today, it has a rich and diverse heritage that spans across cultures and centuries.
People
Pasty + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pasty 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
Pasty: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pasty?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 85 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pasty 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 4,032,404 US residents.
Is Pasty a common name?
We classify Pasty as "Very Rare". It ranks above 62.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 136 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pasty most popular?
The single biggest year for Pasty was 1956, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pasty is about 68 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Pasty in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 346 people with the name Pasty, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #26,749 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Pasty in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Pasty?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Pasty leans strongly female. 340 people counted with this name were female (98.8%), compared with 4 male bearers (1.2%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Pasty?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Pasty is White at 67.6%. The next largest groups are Black (17.9%) and Hispanic (6.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Pasty most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Pasty in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.6% (234 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Pasty in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Pasty a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Pasty 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 Pasty still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Pasty 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 Pasty 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.
How many people are named Pasty?
Find out how many Americans are named Pasty on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.