Bailey
Bailey was the 209th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,446 babies. Its best year was 1998, when it ranked 60th with 5,198 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 102 places. More babies were named Bailey in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning bailiff (surname) · English, Norman French
Say it BAY-lee /ˈbeɪli/
- Rank in 2025
- #209 girls, down 37 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,446girls
- Girls and boys
- 92% girls, 8% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19985,198 babies
- Total since 1880
- 132,544babies recorded
What does the name Bailey mean?
Bailey is an English surname with several sources. Wikipedia considers the most likely one Anglo-Norman bailli, 'bailiff', a steward or official. Wiktionary also lists a topographic surname for someone living by a bailey, the outer wall or courtyard of a castle. As a first name Bailey was used occasionally in 19th-century America, and later became popular for both girls and boys.
bailli (Anglo-Norman, “bailiff, steward”)bailey (Middle English, “outer wall of a castle”)
How sure is this? Probable. 'Bailiff' is the likeliest source; the castle 'bailey' is another.
Related names: Baylee, Bailee, Baileigh.
See also: English names, names from occupations.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Bailey', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Bailey (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Bailey popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #209 | #1,358 | 1,446 | 138 |
| 2020 | #172 | #1,688 | 1,670 | 93 |
| 2010 | #78 | #997 | 3,598 | 196 |
| 2000 | #68 | #202 | 4,649 | 1,755 |
| 1990 | #227 | #1,166 | 1,260 | 87 |
| 1980 | #1,907 | #1,855 | 56 | 30 |
| 1970 | — | #1,994 | — | 20 |
| 1960 | — | #2,129 | — | 15 |
| 1950 | — | #1,221 | — | 35 |
| 1940 | — | #1,210 | — | 31 |
| 1930 | — | #1,071 | — | 42 |
| 1920 | — | #989 | — | 48 |
| 1910 | — | #1,046 | — | 10 |
| 1900 | — | #557 | — | 19 |
| 1890 | — | #536 | — | 13 |
| 1880 | — | #532 | — | 12 |
How popular is Bailey, counting every spelling?
Bailey is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #169 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #209 for Bailey on its own. Together these spellings went to 2,010 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bailey | 1,446 | #209 | 8,205 |
| Baylee | 248 | #1,008 | 1,490 |
| Bailee | 227 | #1,069 | 1,424 |
| Bayley | 31 | #4,469 | 147 |
| Baylie | 28 | #4,782 | 95 |
| Baily | 8 | #11,092 | 57 |
| Bailie | 10 | #9,541 | 45 |
| Bayli | — | — | 28 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Bailey?
1,446 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Bailey (0.40 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Bailey born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 6 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Bailey.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Bailey?
About 109,500 people born in the US named Bailey are alive today, with a median age of 21; half are between 13 and 28. That makes Bailey mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Bailey by state
How common Bailey was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Hampshire (4.0×), West Virginia (2.8×), Alaska (2.8×), Maine (2.6×), Hawaii (2.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Jersey, California, New York.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Bailey: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Bailey, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Bailey · Sibling names for Bailey
Questions about the name Bailey
What does Bailey mean?
Bailey means “bailiff (surname)” (English, Norman French origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Bailey?
Bailey was the 209th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,446 babies. Its best year was 1998, when it ranked 60th with 5,198 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 102 places. More babies were named Bailey in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Bailey a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 92% girls, 8% boys given the name Bailey in the US.
Where is Bailey most popular?
In 2021–2025, Bailey was most common in New Hampshire (4.06 per 1,000 girls), followed by West Virginia and Alaska.