Saylor
One of English origin meaning "saddler" or "seller of saddles".
Name Census estimates that about 13,772 living Americans carry the first name Saylor. It sits at #231 in the overall ranking, outside the top 50 but still well-represented. It is a predominantly female name (94.1% of registrations). The average person named Saylor today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Saylor births was 2022 (1,478 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Saylor. 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
- • Saylor is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 9 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
14K
~ 1 in 24,888 Americans
Peak year
2022
1,478 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#231
Tracked since 1917
Gender
Gender distribution for Saylor
Saylor leans heavily female at 94.1% of total registrations, but 823 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Saylor as a male name
- Ranked #2,223 in 2024
- 65 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (82 births)
Saylor as a female name
- Ranked #231 in 2024
- 1,337 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (1,410 births)
Popularity
Saylor: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Saylor from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 6,742 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Saylor 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 Saylor during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Saylors live
The SSA's state-level files cover 48 states and territories. Texas, Florida, California recorded the most babies named Saylor, while Rhode Island, Wyoming, Delaware recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 250 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Saylor
The given name Saylor is believed to have originated from the Middle English occupational surname "Saylour," which referred to someone who worked as a sailor or mariner. This surname dates back to the 13th century and is derived from the Old French word "saillour," which in turn comes from the Latin word "salire," meaning "to leap" or "to dance."
The name Saylor is thought to have first emerged in England, where it was commonly used as a surname for those involved in maritime professions. As a first name, it gained popularity in the United States, particularly in the southern states, where it may have been influenced by the French-derived surname.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Saylor as a first name can be found in the late 19th century. In 1879, Saylor Lewis was born in Virginia, United States. He later became a prominent lawyer and served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates.
Another notable bearer of the name Saylor was Saylor C. Herrick, an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Oklahoma from 1915 to 1919. He was born in 1859 in Illinois.
In the field of sports, Saylor Hilsman was an American football player who played as a tackle for the Chicago Cardinals in the National Football League (NFL) in the 1930s.
In literature, Saylor Oppenheimer was an American poet and author born in 1932 in New York City. She published several collections of poetry and was known for her experimental writing style.
Saylor Michael Gavin was a Canadian actor and playwright born in 1945 in Toronto. He was best known for his roles in various Canadian television productions and his work in the theatre.
While the name Saylor has its roots in the maritime history of England, it has evolved over time and has been embraced by various cultures and communities around the world, particularly in North America. Despite its occupational origins, the name has transcended its original meaning and is now appreciated for its unique and distinctive sound.
People
Saylor + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Saylor as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Saylor: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Saylor?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 13,772 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Saylor 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 24,888 US residents.
Is Saylor a common name?
We classify Saylor as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 13,882 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Saylor most popular?
The single biggest year for Saylor was 2022, when 1,478 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Saylor is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Saylor a female name?
Yes, 94.1% of people registered as Saylor in the SSA data are female. 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.