unisex name
Bailey
BAY-lee
- Origin French
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 160,938
the United States
#208
2025 births
Bailey is a name of Old French origin meaning "bailiff" or "steward." It also names the outer wall of a castle — as in the Old Bailey, which stands where London's bailey wall once ran.
- Bailey is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in 1998, when 7,437 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,093 babies in the United States is given this name.
- Bailey started out as a boys' name and is now given almost entirely to girls.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Bailey over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 78 |
| 1890s | 116 |
| 1900s | 111 |
| 1910s | 301 |
| 1920s | 396 |
| 1930s | 367 |
| 1940s | 301 |
| 1950s | 292 |
| 1960s | 197 |
| 1970s | 197 |
| 1980s | 4,559 |
| 1990s | 41,547 |
| 2000s | 43,773 |
| 2010s | 29,659 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 10,650 |
What Bailey means
Bailey means a bailiff, the officer who administered a manor or collected rents. A second and separate sense is the outer courtyard of a castle, from a different French word.
Where Bailey comes from
Bailey comes from the Old French baillif, an administrative officer, from the Latin baiulus, a porter and later a manager — the same root as bail and bailiff. A distinct word, bailey, names the walled outer courtyard of a castle, from the French baille, an enclosure; London's Old Bailey takes its name from standing on the line of the city's bailey wall. A third source is the place name Bailey in Lancashire, from berry, a clearing. All three produced the surname.
Bailey in use
Our data records Bailey for both sexes and shows it falling, peaking in 1998, at 208 in the United States against 260 in England and Wales. It first appears in our records in 1880. Its 1998 peak places it with Casey, Jordan and Taylor — the cohort of unisex surname-names that rose and fell together.
How popular is Bailey?
In 2025, Bailey was given to 1,584 babies in the United States, ranking #208 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Bailey is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Bailey
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Bailey also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Bailey over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Bailey
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Bailey in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Bailey
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Bailey — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Bailey
What does the name Bailey mean?
Bailey means "bailiff" or "steward," from the Old French baillif.
Why is the Old Bailey called that?
It stands on the line of London's bailey — the walled outer courtyard of the city's fortifications.
Is Bailey a boy's or a girl's name?
Both. Our data records it as unisex in both markets.
How popular is the name Bailey?
In 2025, Bailey was given to 1,584 babies in the United States, ranking #208 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
How many syllables are in Bailey?
Bailey has 2 syllables.
When was Bailey most popular?
Bailey peaked in 1998, when 7,437 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Bailey?
Bailey is usually shortened to Bay.
Is Bailey a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Bailey currently ranks #208 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.