NameCensus.

UK surname

Paisley

A locational surname referring to a person from Paisley, Scotland, which was known for its cloth production.

In the 1881 census there were 662 people recorded with the Paisley surname, ranking it #5,431 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 920, ranked #6,201, down from #5,431 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Melrose, Langholm and Hawick and Wilton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Northumberland, Allerdale and Langholm and Eskdale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Paisley is 1,014 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 39.0%.

1881 census count

662

Ranked #5,431

Modern count

920

2016, ranked #6,201

Peak year

2002

1,014 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Paisley had 662 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,431 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 920 in 2016, ranked #6,201.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 718 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Paisley surname distribution map

The map shows where the Paisley surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Paisley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Paisley over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 432 #5,676
1861 historical 515 #5,083
1881 historical 662 #5,431
1891 historical 633 #6,110
1901 historical 718 #6,149
1911 historical 449 #8,519
1997 modern 917 #5,890
1998 modern 967 #5,832
1999 modern 967 #5,865
2000 modern 990 #5,734
2001 modern 970 #5,724
2002 modern 1,014 #5,626
2003 modern 1,001 #5,589
2004 modern 966 #5,758
2005 modern 950 #5,778
2006 modern 931 #5,881
2007 modern 919 #5,996
2008 modern 928 #5,992
2009 modern 948 #6,009
2010 modern 957 #6,089
2011 modern 930 #6,173
2012 modern 910 #6,201
2013 modern 943 #6,117
2014 modern 944 #6,157
2015 modern 921 #6,223
2016 modern 920 #6,201

Geography

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Where Paisleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Melrose, Langholm, Hawick and Wilton, Mearns and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Northumberland, Allerdale and Langholm and Eskdale. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Melrose Roxburgh
2 Langholm Dumfries
3 Hawick and Wilton Roxburgh
4 Mearns Renfrew
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Northumberland 038 Northumberland
2 Allerdale 002 Allerdale
3 Allerdale 001 Allerdale
4 Langholm and Eskdale Dumfries and Galloway
5 Allerdale 005 Allerdale

Forenames

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First names often paired with Paisley

These lists show first names that appear often with the Paisley surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Paisley

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Paisley, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Paisley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Paisley household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Paisley is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Paisley is most concentrated in decile 2 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Paisley falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Paisley is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Paisley, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Paisley

The surname Paisley originated from the town of Paisley in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The name first appeared in records around the 12th century, derived from the Brittonic Celtic words "pasgyll" meaning a pasture or meadow and "ey" meaning island or ridge.

The earliest known spelling of the place name was "Passelet" in 1157, which evolved into "Passeleth" in 1182, and later "Passelay" in 1245. The town of Paisley grew in importance as a religious center with the establishment of Paisley Abbey in the 12th century.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Paisley was Walter de Passelay, who was a witness to a charter granted by Walter fitz Alan, the High Steward of Scotland, around 1230. Another early record is that of Radulphus de Passelay, who was a canon of Glasgow Cathedral in 1256.

In the 14th century, the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. Among those listed were Johannes de Passelay and William de Passelay.

Paisley Abbey played a significant role in the history of the town and the name. One notable figure was John de Lithgow, who served as Abbot of Paisley from 1389 to 1418. He was involved in the rebuilding of the abbey church and was a prominent figure in Scottish ecclesiastical affairs.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Paisley became more widespread as families migrated from the town. Robert Paisley (1558-1619) was a Scottish minister and reformer who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1616.

In the 19th century, William Paisley (1808-1881) was a Scottish politician and Lord Provost of Glasgow, while Walter Paisley (1858-1932) was a Scottish architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in Glasgow.

Other notable individuals with the surname Paisley include John Paisley (1919-2011), a Scottish politician and Member of Parliament, and Ian Paisley (1926-2014), a Northern Irish Protestant religious leader and politician who served as the First Minister of Northern Ireland.

The name Paisley has also been associated with the distinctive paisley pattern, which originated in the town and became popular in the West after being incorporated into Scottish and English textiles in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Paisley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Paisley surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Cumberland leads with 89 Paisleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 15.91x.

County Total Index
Cumberland 89 15.91x
Lanarkshire 88 4.19x
Middlesex 75 1.15x
Lancashire 64 0.83x
Northumberland 46 4.76x
Dumfriesshire 37 25.78x
Renfrewshire 35 6.95x
Durham 26 1.35x
Ayrshire 22 4.52x
Kirkcudbrightshire 17 18.08x
Kent 15 0.68x
Hampshire 13 0.98x
Selkirkshire 12 20.42x
Midlothian 9 1.03x
Surrey 9 0.28x
Westmorland 9 6.30x
Dunbartonshire 8 4.58x
Roxburghshire 8 6.80x
Somerset 8 0.77x
Suffolk 8 1.01x
Wigtownshire 7 8.12x
Yorkshire 7 0.11x
Glamorgan 6 0.53x
West Lothian 6 6.13x
Devon 5 0.37x
Essex 5 0.39x
Isle of Man 5 4.14x
Oxfordshire 5 1.25x
Angus 4 0.66x
Buteshire 4 10.16x
Stirlingshire 4 1.67x
Worcestershire 4 0.47x
Peeblesshire 2 6.54x
Staffordshire 2 0.09x
Fife 1 0.26x
Gloucestershire 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barony in Lanarkshire leads with 34 Paisleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.39x.

Place Total Index
Barony 34 6.39x
Caldewgate 28 91.35x
Langholm 27 261.88x
Liverpool 24 5.13x
Crosscanonby 20 108.11x
Kilwinning 15 95.54x
St Marylebone London 15 4.32x
Lower Allithwaite 14 756.76x
Mearns 14 158.73x
Islington London 12 1.91x
Winlaton 12 64.72x
Chirton 11 50.27x
Glasgow 11 2.95x
Govan 11 2.12x
Millbrook 11 32.80x
Cambusnethan 9 19.29x
Hammersmith London 9 5.62x
Dumfries 8 56.50x
Halesworth 8 142.60x
Killington 8 1454.55x
Little Bolton 8 8.07x
Melrose 8 54.09x
Neilston 8 31.66x
St Luke London 8 7.68x
Troqueer 8 64.83x
Burnley 7 10.78x
Dalziel 7 30.97x
Low Bolton 7 492.96x
Maryhill 7 17.02x
Seaham 7 99.43x
St Pancras London 7 1.34x
Urr 7 57.24x
Walcot 7 12.57x
Battersea 6 2.51x
Byker 6 12.56x
Greysouthen 6 389.61x
Hawick 6 22.78x
Kensington London 6 1.66x
North Leith 6 14.90x
Old Kilpatrick 6 29.08x
Bridekirk 5 111.86x
Elswick 5 6.48x
Irvine 5 37.01x
Leswalt 5 84.60x
Linlithgow 5 39.84x
Llandaff 5 13.29x
Longbenton 5 12.21x
Scawton 5 1724.14x
Setmurthy 5 1315.79x
Tynemouth 5 9.66x
Chiswick 4 11.27x
Galashiels 4 18.41x
Greenwich 4 3.87x
Harrington 4 59.26x
Kilbarchan 4 26.16x
Kilbride 4 82.47x
Killearn 4 158.73x
Lewisham 4 3.38x
Maughold 4 42.96x
Mickley 4 131.15x
Rutherglen 4 12.98x
Shalford 4 246.91x
Shoreditch London 4 1.42x
St Cuthbert W O 4 14.67x
St George In East 4 9.05x
Stocksfield Hall 4 1600.00x
Warley Wigorn 4 148.15x
West Greenock 4 4.43x
Woodstock 4 158.73x
Abbey 3 3.91x
Bermondsey 3 1.55x
Churchstow 3 365.85x
Cleator 3 12.89x
Dundee 3 1.34x
Gorbals 3 24.06x
Hexham 3 20.05x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 2 0.57x
Kelton 2 25.87x
Wilton 2 15.49x
Wingate 2 15.09x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Paisley surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 33
Elizabeth 18
Margaret 11
Sarah 11
Ann 10
Jane 9
Isabella 8
Catherine 7
Ellen 7
Alice 6
Annie 5
Hannah 5
Agnes 4
Caroline 3
Josephine 3
Ada 2
Amelia 2
Emma 2
Fanny 2
Lavina 2
Margret 2
Rosetta 2
Sophia 2
Anna 1
Blanche 1
Bridget 1
Cathrine 1
Charlotte 1
Eliza 1
Emily 1
Esther 1
Florence 1
Harriet 1
Helen 1
Ida 1
Isobella 1
Jemima 1
Jessey 1
Jessie 1
Kate 1
Katherine 1
Louisa 1
Lucy 1
Lydia 1
Margaretha 1
Margaretta 1
Maria 1
Marion 1
Matilda 1
Wilhelmina 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Paisley surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 36
James 21
Thomas 21
William 21
Robert 13
George 10
Joseph 9
Alfred 7
Herbert 5
Charles 4
Edward 4
Richard 4
Walter 4
Albert 3
Arthur 3
Francis 3
Frederick 3
Hector 3
Henry 3
Andrew 2
Edwin 2
Jeremiah 2
Jonathan 2
Leonard 2
Thos. 2
Wm. 2
Alexander 1
Blaylock 1
Cuthbert 1
David 1
Edmund 1
Jack 1
Lord 1
Nicholas 1
Patrick 1
Roberts 1
Robt. 1
Samuel 1
Simon 1
Stanley 1

FAQ

Paisley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Paisley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 662 people were recorded with the Paisley surname. That placed it at #5,431 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Paisley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 920 in 2016. That gives Paisley a modern rank of #6,201.

What does the Paisley surname mean?

A locational surname referring to a person from Paisley, Scotland, which was known for its cloth production.

What does the Paisley map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Paisley bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.