Find out how popular the last name Bail is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bail.

Bail, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bail surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bail in America

Bail is the 2421st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bail surname appeared 14,957 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Bail.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bail to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Bail

The surname BAIL is of French origin, originating in the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "baille", which means "enclosure" or "outer wall". The name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked with enclosures or outer walls, such as a gatekeeper or a bailiff.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Bail" and "Baille". During the Middle Ages, the name was also spelled as "Baille", "Baile", and "Bayll".

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was William Bail, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195. Another early bearer was Robert Bail, who was recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273.

In the 14th century, the name Bail was associated with several place names in England, such as Baildon in West Yorkshire and Bailrigg in Lancashire. These place names likely derived from the Old English word "bæl", meaning "a fire or beacon".

A notable person with the surname Bail was John Bail, a 15th-century English merchant and alderman of London, who was born in 1422 and died in 1492.

Another significant figure was Thomas Bail, a 16th-century English clergyman and religious reformer, who was born in 1499 and died in 1563. He played a crucial role in the English Reformation and was a close associate of Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

In the 17th century, the name Bail was associated with Sir William Bail, an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Hertfordshire in the 1620s.

In the 18th century, John Bail, a British architect and surveyor, was born in 1725 and died in 1806. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the St. Pancras Church.

In the 19th century, Charles Wyndham Bail, an English author and journalist, was born in 1845 and died in 1921. He wrote several books on historical and literary subjects and was a prominent figure in the literary circles of his time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bail

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bail.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bail was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bail has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bail was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bail, please contact us.

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