girl's name
Saylor
SAY-lor
- Origin German
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 15,816
the United States
#217
2025 births
Saylor is a girl's name with two separate origins that have converged. As an American surname it usually comes from the German Seiler, a ropemaker, and it is also read as a respelling of the English word sailor. Both explanations are in genuine use.
- Saylor is a name of German origin.
- Peaked in 2023, when 1,480 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,252 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1917.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Saylor over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 5 |
| 1990s | 227 |
| 2000s | 1,505 |
| 2010s | 5,404 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 8,221 |
What Saylor means
Saylor is most often taken at face value as sailor, someone who works a ship. The surname behind it, though, is generally the German Seiler, a maker of rope — a trade so tied to shipping that the two senses have effectively merged.
Where Saylor comes from
Saylor is an American surname, most commonly an anglicized spelling of the German Seiler, from Seil, a rope, denoting a ropemaker. A related German sense gives a rope-dancer or acrobat, which is why some reference sources list dancer alongside the maritime reading. Independently, English speakers hear the name as a spelling of sailor, from the Middle English saillour, and the association with rope-making and ships makes the two readings hard to separate in practice. Its use as a girl's first name is recent, part of the wider American pattern of surname-names respelled with a Y.
Saylor in use
Saylor first appears in our records in 1917 but did not reach any real use until the 2010s, and peaked in 2023.
How popular is Saylor?
In 2025, Saylor was given to 1,472 babies in the United States, ranking #217 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Saylor 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 Saylor
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Saylor also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Saylor over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
3 nicknames for Saylor
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.
Saylor 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 Saylor
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Saylor — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Saylor
What does the name Saylor mean?
Usually ropemaker, from the German surname Seiler. It is also read simply as a spelling of sailor, and both readings are in genuine use.
Is Saylor a boy's or a girl's name?
It is given overwhelmingly to girls.
What is the difference between Saylor and Sailor?
Saylor is the surname spelling, generally from the German Seiler. Sailor is the English word. As first names they are pronounced the same.
How popular is the name Saylor?
In 2025, Saylor was given to 1,472 babies in the United States, ranking #217 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
How many syllables are in Saylor?
Saylor has 2 syllables.
When was Saylor most popular?
Saylor peaked in 2023, when 1,480 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Saylor?
Saylor is usually shortened to Say, Sal and Lori.
Is Saylor a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Saylor currently ranks #217 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.