Bailey
Meaningbailiff · English
- US rank
- #208
- Syllables
- 2
- Peak
- #60 in 1998
1,446 babies were named Bailey in the US in 2025. It has dropped 36 places in five years.
Found on lists
Save adds it to your list. Vote moves it up the top voted names.
US births per million girls, 1916–2025
US births per million boys, 1880–2025
Most popular states (2025)
Similar names
Popularity: U.S. Social Security Administration (babies with 5+ births per year).
Did you know?
A few things about Bailey you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.
Famous Bailey
Bailey Wright
Australian association football player
Choose Bailey and your child shares a first name with Bailey Wright, an Australian association football player. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Bailey, like who?” Bailey Wright's Wikipedia article is available in 29 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.
Read about Bailey Wright on Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Photo: Preston North End F.C., CC0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons
- How commonAbout 1 in every 1,111 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Bailey, 1,446 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Bailey would very likely be the only one.
- HistoryBailey has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Baileys, and counting.
- Best yearIt was far more popular in 1998, when it ranked #60. Today it's #208, so it could be due a comeback.
- Then vs nowBailey was 2.8× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 391 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 1,111.
- TrendBailey has slipped 36 places over the last five years and now sits at #208. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
- Where it's lovedBailey is most popular in Vermont, where it ranks #57, followed by South Carolina (#104) and New Hampshire (#121). It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
- MeaningIn English, Bailey means “bailiff”.
About the name Bailey
Bailey is a girl name of Old English origin meaning “bailiff”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with B and ending in “-ley”. US birth records list Bailey for girls from 1916 to 2025, in 52 of those 110 years. Its best year was 1998, when it ranked #60 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #208, with 1,446 babies.
Origin:Old English names
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 1.4 | 701,754 girls |
| 1920s | 0.5 | 2,040,816 girls |
| 1950s | 0.3 | 4,000,000 girls |
| 1970s | 1.8 | 558,659 girls |
| 1980s | 232 | 4,310 girls |
| 1990s | 1,778 | 563 girls |
| 2000s | 1,999 | 500 girls |
| 2010s | 1,613 | 620 girls |
| 2020s | 1,015 | 985 girls |
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 71 | 13,994 boys |
| 1890s | 102 | 9,800 boys |
| 1900s | 82 | 12,129 boys |
| 1910s | 46 | 21,524 boys |
| 1920s | 35 | 28,241 boys |
| 1930s | 35 | 28,785 boys |
| 1940s | 21 | 48,054 boys |
| 1950s | 14 | 69,832 boys |
| 1960s | 10 | 96,712 boys |
| 1970s | 10 | 97,943 boys |
| 1980s | 26 | 39,185 boys |
| 1990s | 520 | 1,922 boys |
| 2000s | 349 | 2,868 boys |
| 2010s | 72 | 13,860 boys |
| 2020s | 75 | 13,357 boys |
Other spellings of Bailey
More Old English girl names
- Girl name: Evelyn · possibly desired
- Girl name: Hazel · hazel tree
- Girl name: Ivy · ivy plant
- Girl name: Daisy · day's eye
- Girl name: Audrey · noble strength
- Unisex name: Quinn · descendant of Conn
- Unisex name: Hadley · heather meadow
- Girl name: Summer · summer
Questions about the name Bailey
What does the name Bailey mean?
Bailey means “bailiff” in English.
What is the origin of the name Bailey?
Bailey has Old English roots in our records. Other Old English names include Evelyn, Hazel, Ivy.
Is Bailey a boy or girl name?
Bailey is a girl name, though a few boys get it too.
How popular is the name Bailey?
Bailey ranked #208 for US girls in 2025, given to 1,446 babies. Its best year was 1998 (#60).