Yeah, I wear 33W pants but they measure 36" around the belt loops. This isn’t the result of vanity sizing, though - men used to wear pants that were very high-waisted, but as pants got lower over the decades they kept using the “nominal” waist measurement so that men would still know what size to buy, since the circumference around the hips (where most pants are cut today) is about 3" less more than the circumference of what used to be the waist.

Pleats are another useless holdover from the high-waisted era, as they made it easier for pants to expand down over the hips and thighs.