Paige

What does Paige mean?

Paige means “page” or “servant,” from an English occupational surname. The Middle English word referred to a young attendant. Its older history runs through French and Italian to Greek paidion, meaning “little boy.”

As a first name, Paige keeps the surname's single-syllable sound while using a spelling especially familiar for girls. Its cultural associations include animated film, television, and basketball, giving the compact name several recognizable modern settings.

An occupational name with a long word history

The surname behind Paige belongs to the English tradition of identifying people through their work or position. A page was a young attendant, and that role supplied the word that eventually became the family name.

The personal name developed later from the surname. Its written ending gives it a different appearance from the ordinary word page, although the two are pronounced alike. The final e helps signal the long a vowel, while the g has a soft sound.

Paige attracted attention as a girls' name through the 1958 novel Parrish and its 1961 film adaptation. It rose more strongly during the 1980s, with the television character Paige Matheson in Knots Landing a possible influence on that growth.

Paige O'Hara and Belle

Singer and actress Paige O'Hara gives the name a lasting connection with Disney animation. She provided both the speaking and singing voice of Belle in Beauty and the Beast, released in 1991.

Her performance helped create the character's voice alongside the work of the animators. O'Hara's career also included Broadway, opera, concerts, and recording, placing the name within several kinds of musical performance.

Disney recognized her as a Disney Legend in 2011. The Belle association remains especially familiar to audiences who first encountered her voice through the animated film and its songs.

Paige Bueckers and basketball

Basketball player Paige Bueckers supplies a prominent sporting association. Her University of Connecticut career ended with the Huskies' 2025 national championship, their twelfth title and their first since 2016.

During the 2024–25 season she led UConn with 19.9 points per game and 176 assists. She scored seventeen points in the championship game, helping complete the team's successful tournament run.

Pronunciation and spelling

Paige is pronounced PAYJ, rhyming with age. It has one syllable, a long a, and the final sound heard at the beginning of gentle. Page is the matching ordinary word and the closely related surname spelling.

The name usually stands in full without a shortening. Its brief rhythm makes the written five-letter form feel particularly compact when spoken.

Paige in the United States

Paige reached its best American girls' rank and highest annual count in 2003: No. 47 and 5,758 babies. It ranked No. 346 in 2025, compared with No. 140 in 2015 and No. 277 in 2020.

How popular is Paige?

In 2025, Paige ranked #346 among girls in the United States, with 884 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1915; its largest annual count was 5,758 in 2003. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.