Unisex name · Old French
Bailey
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: steward, bailiffBailey is a gender-neutral name that comes from Old French and means "steward, bailiff". It is used in English.
- Meaning
- Steward, bailiff
- Origin
- Old French
- Gender
- Unisex
- US rank
- #209 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Bailey
As a gender-neutral name, Bailey comes from Old French and means "steward, bailiff". It is used in English.
Bailey is also a surname: the 73rd most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 269,092 people. See the most common last names.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Bailey on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Bailey on 1 list.
“Steward, bailiff; Old French via an English job name”
From Gender neutral names, gender-neutral surname names
How popular is Bailey?
In 2025, 1,446 girls and 138 boys in the US were named Bailey.
As a girl’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #209
- 1,446 babies, 900 per million girls
- Best rank
- #60 in 1998
- 5,198 babies that year
- Babies since 1916
- At least 110,806
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 1 per million |
| 1920s | 1 per million |
| 1930s | 0 per million |
| 1940s | 0 per million |
| 1950s | 0 per million |
| 1960s | 0 per million |
| 1970s | 2 per million |
| 1980s | 238 per million |
| 1990s | 1,756 per million |
| 2000s | 1,996 per million |
| 2010s | 1,617 per million |
| 2020s | 1,015 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #116 | #125 | #133 | #157 | #172 | #162 | #182 | #172 | #182 | #209 |
As a boy’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #1,358
- 138 babies, 81 per million boys
- Best rank
- #151 in 1997
- 2,296 babies that year
- Babies since 1880
- At least 21,738
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 71 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 102 per million |
| 1900s | 82 per million |
| 1910s | 44 per million |
| 1920s | 35 per million |
| 1930s | 35 per million |
| 1940s | 20 per million |
| 1950s | 14 per million |
| 1960s | 10 per million |
| 1970s | 10 per million |
| 1980s | 26 per million |
| 1990s | 510 per million |
| 2000s | 345 per million |
| 2010s | 72 per million |
| 2020s | 75 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,523 | #1,265 | #1,377 | #1,451 | #1,688 | #1,497 | #1,517 | #1,274 | #1,271 | #1,358 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names spelled like Bailey
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- BasileRoyal, kingly (Greek, boy)
- BillyResolute protector (Germanic, boy)
- BradleyBroad clearing (Old English, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
Middle names for Bailey
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More names from Old French
- BellamyBeautiful friend (Old French, unisex)
- BlancheWhite, fair (Old French, girl)
- EsméEsteemed, loved (Old French, girl)
- GrantGreat, large (Old French, boy)
- LyleIsland (Old French, boy)
- WallaceForeigner, Welshman (Old French, boy)
- AlgernonHaving a mustache (Old French, boy)
- AmyBeloved (Old French, girl)
- ArcherBowman (Old French, boy)
- CorbinRaven (Old French, boy)
- CurtisCourteous (Old French, boy)
- DarrellFrom Airelle, a place in Normandy (Old French, boy)
- DouceSweet (Old French, girl)
- EleanorReportedly from Latin alia Aenor, the other Aenor (Old French, girl)
- ElliePet form of Eleanor, Ellen, Elizabeth and other El- names (Old French, girl)
- EsmeeEsteemed, loved (Old French, girl)
- FletcherArrow maker (Old French, boy)
- ForrestOf the forest (Old French, boy)
Bailey: common questions
What does the name Bailey mean?
Bailey comes from Old French and means "steward, bailiff".
Is Bailey a boy or girl name?
Bailey is used for both boys and girls. In 2025, 1,446 girls and 138 boys in the US were named Bailey, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Bailey come from?
Bailey comes from Old French and means "steward, bailiff". Today it is used in English.
How popular is the name Bailey?
Bailey ranked #209 in the US in 2025, with 1,446 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Bailey?
Names spelled like Bailey include Basile, Billy and Bradley.
What middle names go with Bailey?
Middle names that flow well with Bailey include Anne, David, Eli, Glenn and Jade. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.