Bayless
From a bay or inlet, perhaps originally describing someone living near one.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Bayless. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bayless today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bayless births was 1920 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bayless. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Bayless. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1920
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1927 SSA rank
#4,256
Tracked since 1920
Popularity
Bayless: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Bayless 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 Bayless during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Bayless
The name Bayless is a relatively modern English name that emerged in the late 18th or early 19th century. It is believed to have originated as a variant spelling of the surname Bayles, which itself is derived from the Old French personal name Baille.
Baille is thought to have come from the Latin word "bajulus," meaning a bearer or carrier. It was initially a nickname given to people whose occupation involved carrying or transporting goods. Over time, the surname evolved into various forms, including Bayles, Bayliss, and eventually, Bayless.
While the name Bayless does not have a long and illustrious history like some ancient names, it has been borne by several notable individuals throughout the years. One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Bayless was in the late 18th century, when Bayless Earick, an American Revolutionary War soldier, was born in Virginia around 1760.
In the 19th century, Bayless Woodson Whitaker (1817-1897) was a Confederate soldier and lawyer from Virginia. Another notable bearer of the name was Bayless Parkinson (1839-1908), an American businessman and politician who served as the 15th Governor of West Virginia from 1893 to 1897.
In the 20th century, Bayless Markham Terwilliger (1901-1965) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Oregon's 1st congressional district from 1951 to 1957. Bayless Edwards Patter (1908-1973) was an American football player and coach who played professionally for the Chicago Cardinals and later served as the head coach for the University of Texas at El Paso.
More recently, Bayless Parsley (1941-2002) was an American author and screenwriter best known for his work on the television series The Waltons. Rick Bayless (born 1953) is a celebrated American chef, restaurateur, and author who has written several books and hosted numerous TV shows, including Mexico: One Plate at a Time.
While the name Bayless may not have deep historical roots or widespread cultural significance, it has been carried by individuals who have made their mark in various fields, from military service and politics to sports, literature, and culinary arts.
People
Bayless + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bayless 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
Bayless: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bayless?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bayless 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 - US residents.
Is Bayless a common name?
We classify Bayless as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bayless most popular?
The single biggest year for Bayless was 1920, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bayless is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Bayless in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bayless a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bayless 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.
Is Bayless still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bayless in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Bayless can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Bayless?
You can see how many Americans are named Bayless on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.