Given name & surname · also Old English
Bailey
Bailey is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “from the courtyard within castle walls; a public official.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “from the courtyard within castle walls; a public official.”
Where it comes from
A possible origin is Old English, although the derivation remains uncertain.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Bailey through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 132,544
- 21,738 boys · 110,806 girls
- Most popular year
- 1998
- 7,437 babies
- 2025
- 1,584
- #209 for girls · #1,358 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −22%
- Easing
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 6% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 1,446 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 209 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 24.1% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 5,198 in 1998. It also appeared in 138 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (128). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 111,403 as a first name in 2020; 269,092 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Bailey’s family of names
In English usage, Bailey has a related form in Baylee. Bailey has a related form in Baylee. In English usage, Bailey has a related form in Bailee.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 17
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 4
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Bailey
- Bailey WrightAustralian association football playerborn 1992
- Bailey Peacock-FarrellNorthern Irish association football playerborn 1996
- Bailey OlterPresident of Federated States of Micronesia (1932-1999)
- Bailey ChaseAmerican actorborn 1972
- Bailey HowellAmerican basketball player (born 1937)
- Bailey BassAmerican actressborn 2003
- Bailey De Youngactressborn 1989
- Bailey WillisAmerican geologist (1857–1949)
- Bailey LearAmerican athleteborn 2001
Characters named Bailey: Bailey Pickett.
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Bailey, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Ashley
“ash” · “wood”
1% boys · 99% girls
Madison
“daughter'of a mighty warrior” · “son of a mighty warrior”
1% boys · 99% girls
Ainsley
“one's own meadow”
1% boys · 99% girls
Hadley
“from the field of heather” · “from the heather meadow”
1% boys · 99% girls
Taylor
“cutter of cloth; one who alters garments” · “one who alters garments”
21% boys · 79% girls
Savannah
“from the open, grassy plain”
>99% girls
Sydney
“of the wide meadow”
2% boys · 98% girls
London
“from the captial of England”
14% boys · 86% girls