Baird
Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Baird, meaning "bard" or "poet".
Name Census estimates that about 337 living Americans carry the first name Baird. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Baird today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Baird births was 1957 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Baird. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
337
~ 1 in 1,017,075 Americans
Peak year
1957
17 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,058
Tracked since 1915
Popularity
Baird: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Baird from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 79 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Baird remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Baird by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Baird during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Baird
The given name Baird has its origins in the Gaelic language and Scottish culture, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Scottish surname Baird, which is believed to have originated from the Old English word "bearde," meaning "bearded one."
The name Baird is thought to have first appeared in historical records around the 13th century, when it was used as a descriptive nickname or surname for individuals with prominent beards. As surnames became more widespread and hereditary during this period, Baird likely transitioned into a first name as well.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Baird was Robert Baird, a Scottish nobleman and landowner who lived in the late 13th century. He was a prominent figure in the Scottish Wars of Independence against England.
In the 16th century, Baird appeared as the name of a Scottish Protestant minister and theologian, John Baird (c. 1530-1600). He was a prominent figure in the Scottish Reformation and a vocal critic of the Catholic Church.
Another notable figure named Baird was Sir David Baird (1757-1829), a British military officer who played a significant role in the Napoleonic Wars. He was renowned for his bravery and leadership, and was awarded numerous honors, including the Order of the Bath.
In the 19th century, Spencer Fullerton Baird (1823-1887) was an American naturalist and ornithologist who served as the second Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. He made significant contributions to the study of birds and helped establish several natural history museums.
More recently, Ralph Baird (1917-2008) was a British actor known for his roles in films such as "The Ipcress File" and "The Pink Panther Strikes Again." He had a long and successful career in both film and television.
While the name Baird has Scottish origins, it has been adopted and used in various parts of the world, particularly in English-speaking countries. However, its historical roots and associations with notable individuals from Scotland and the United Kingdom remain a significant part of its legacy.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Baird
People
Baird + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Baird as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Baird: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Baird?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 337 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Baird going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,017,075 US residents.
Is Baird a common name?
We classify Baird as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 471 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Baird most popular?
The single biggest year for Baird was 1957, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Baird is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Baird a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Baird in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.