Baylor
Baylor was the 386th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 822 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 365th with 905 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 425 places. More babies were named Baylor in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin not documented
Say it BAY-ler /ˈbeɪlər/
- Rank in 2025
- #386 boys, up 72 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 822boys
- Girls and boys
- 30% girls, 70% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2024905 babies
- Total since 1880
- 12,731babies recorded
What does the name Baylor mean?
Baylor is an American surname best known from Baylor University in Texas, named after the judge Robert E. B. Baylor. Wiktionary lists it as a surname and male given name without an etymology. Its earlier origin is not documented in the sources consulted; it may be a variant of English surnames such as Bailer or Baylor of unclear meaning. As a boy's name it is recent.
How sure is this? Not documented. No documented etymology.
Related names: Taylor, Baylee.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Baylor', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (usage history only), US Social Security Administration
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Baylor popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #694 | #386 | 407 | 822 |
| 2020 | #1,027 | #458 | 244 | 648 |
| 2010 | #4,120 | #1,149 | 36 | 161 |
| 2000 | #5,973 | #1,235 | 18 | 108 |
| 1990 | — | #7,266 | — | 6 |
| 1980 | — | — | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Baylor, counting every spelling?
Baylor is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #394 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #386 for Baylor on its own. Together these spellings went to 828 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baylor | 822 | #386 | 4,119 |
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 Baylor?
822 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Baylor (0.23 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Baylor 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 10 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Baylor.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Baylor?
About 8,900 people born in the US named Baylor are alive today, with a median age of 6; half are between 3 and 12. That makes Baylor a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Baylor by state
How common Baylor was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in South Dakota (5.6×), Alabama (4.8×), Nebraska (4.7×), Mississippi (4.7×), North Dakota (4.2×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Jersey, New York, California.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Baylor: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Baylor, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Baylor · Sibling names for Baylor
Questions about the name Baylor
How popular is the name Baylor?
Baylor was the 386th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 822 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 365th with 905 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 425 places. More babies were named Baylor in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Baylor a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 30% girls, 70% boys given the name Baylor in the US.
Where is Baylor most popular?
In 2021–2025, Baylor was most common in South Dakota (2.69 per 1,000 boys), followed by Alabama and Nebraska.