Given name & surname
Bayou
“from the slow-moving river”
Bayou is used as a given name and a surname. One French interpretation is “from the slow-moving river.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One French interpretation is “from the slow-moving river.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is French.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2023. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Bayou through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 14
- 14 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2024
- 9 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 9 in 2024. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 176 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.
Bayou’s family of names
Bayou has a related form in Bayu. Bayou has a related form in Bayue.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Appears in
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