Saylor
Saylor was the 217th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,415 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 207th; the most babies were born in 2025 (1,415). Over the last ten years it has moved up 391 places. More babies were named Saylor in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning dancer, acrobat (surname) · Old French, English
Say it SAY-ler /ˈseɪlər/
- Rank in 2025
- #217 girls, up 87 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,415girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20251,415 babies
- Total since 1880
- 15,362babies recorded
What does the name Saylor mean?
Saylor is an English surname. Wiktionary derives it from Old French sailleor, 'dancer, acrobat', and Wikipedia agrees that it may come from an occupational name for an acrobat. It is often taken for a spelling of sailor, which would be a different word. As a first name it is a recent American choice for both girls and boys, and Wikipedia lists several bearers, among them the actress Saylor Curda.
sailleor (Old French, “dancer, acrobat”)
How sure is this? Probable. The 'acrobat' derivation is given by both sources but tentatively by Wikipedia.
Other explanations you may read: Means 'sailor'.
Related names: Sailor, Sayler.
See also: English names, names from occupations.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Saylor', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Saylor', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Saylor popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 880 since 1917, 57 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #217 | 1,415 |
| 2020 | #304 | 1,070 |
| 2010 | #1,306 | 181 |
| 2000 | #1,813 | 96 |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Saylor, counting every spelling?
Saylor is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #207 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #217 for Saylor on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,677 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saylor | 1,415 | #217 | 6,757 |
| Sailor | 206 | #1,134 | 1,001 |
| Sayler | 48 | #3,290 | 256 |
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 Saylor?
1,415 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Saylor (0.39 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Saylor 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 Saylor.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Saylor?
About 14,400 people born in the US named Saylor are alive today, with a median age of 6; half are between 3 and 10. That makes Saylor 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.
Saylor by state
How common Saylor was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in West Virginia (3.7×), Alabama (3.4×), Maine (3.4×), Mississippi (3.3×), Montana (3.3×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New York, New Jersey, California.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Saylor: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Saylor, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Saylor · Sibling names for Saylor
Questions about the name Saylor
What does Saylor mean?
Saylor means “dancer, acrobat (surname)” (Old French, English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Saylor?
Saylor was the 217th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,415 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 207th; the most babies were born in 2025 (1,415). Over the last ten years it has moved up 391 places. More babies were named Saylor in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Saylor a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Saylor in the US.
Where is Saylor most popular?
In 2021–2025, Saylor was most common in Wyoming (3.28 per 1,000 girls), followed by West Virginia and Alabama.