Paisley
Paisley Name Meaning, Origin & Popularity
PAYZ-lee
Meaning of Paisley: Paisley comes from the Scottish town of Paisley in Renfrewshire, west of Glasgow. The town's name most likely derives from Latin basilica, meaning church, or from a Brythonic root meaning pasture. According to etymology records, the etymology remains debated among Scottish linguists.
The name gained international weight through the distinctive paisley textile pattern, a teardrop design of Persian and Indian origin. The town mass produced the fabric from the early 19th century, exporting shawls across the British Empire. That commercial reach gave Paisley name recognition far beyond its modest size.
Paisley follows the American pattern of adopting British place names as girl given names. The name entered US birth records in the early 2000s, concentrated in Southern states where heritage naming traditions run deepest. Texas, Georgia, and Tennessee led the early rise with steady year over year growth.
What Does Paisley Mean? Origin & Etymology
United States SSA records at ssa.gov show Paisley entering the top 100 in 2013 and peaking at #42 in 2015. The name holds #61 in 2024 with 3,542 births. Country musician Brad Paisley's prominence in Nashville country circles reinforced awareness across the American South.
The name sits inside a cohort of US place-name girl names that gained ground in the 2000s and 2010s, alongside Savannah, Cheyenne, Brooklyn, and Addison. The group pairs geographic specificity with feminine phonetics, appealing to parents who value names with traceable cultural origins.
Notably, spelling variants Paislee and Paisleigh surfaced in SSA records from the 2010s. Paislee ranks as the more common alternate form, applying the same creative respelling pattern seen across names ending in -lee or -leigh during the broader creative-spelling decade of US naming.
How Popular Is Paisley?
Numerology & Symbolism of Paisley
Based on Pythagorean numerology — a traditional system linking name letters to numbers. Presented for cultural interest.
Paisley – Similar Names & Alternatives
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Frequently Asked Questions about Paisley
What does Paisley mean?
Paisley comes from the Scottish town of Paisley, whose name may derive from Gaelic passeleg (basilica). The town became famous for the Paisley textile pattern, a teardrop-shaped motif from Persian design.
What is the origin of Paisley?
Paisley is a Scottish place name. Country singer Brad Paisley maintained its cultural visibility. Paisley entered US girls’ naming in the 2010s, entering the top 100 in 2013.
How popular is Paisley in the US?
Paisley ranks 61 for girls in the US as of 2024, per SSA data. It entered the top 100 in 2013 and the top 70 in 2019. Paisley is especially popular in Southern and Midwestern states.
What are variants of Paisley?
Variants include Paislee, Paisleigh, Paizlee, and Pasley. All are phonetically identical modern spellings. The traditional place-name spelling Paisley remains most common.
Is Paisley more popular for girls or boys?
Paisley is given predominantly to girls. It ranks 61 for girls in the US in 2024 and does not appear in the top 1000 boys’ names.