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

Bailes, 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 Bailes surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bailes in America

Bailes is the 10150th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bailes surname appeared 3,178 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bailes.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bailes 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 Bailes

The surname Bailes is of English origin and is believed to have derived from the Old English word "bæli," meaning a burning or a fire. This surname likely originated as a toponymic name, referring to someone who lived near a beacon or a place where fires were lit.

The earliest known record of the name Bailes can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Baillif" in the county of Warwickshire. This suggests that the name had already been established in England by the late 11th century.

In the medieval period, the name was often spelled in various ways, such as Bailles, Bayles, and Bailis, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time. Some early bearers of this surname include John Bailles, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1208, and Robert Bailes, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1292.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Bailes began to appear more frequently in various records, including parish registers and tax rolls. One notable bearer of this surname was John Bailes, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Norwich, who lived in the late 16th century.

Another individual of note was Sir Thomas Bailes, an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Lincolnshire in the early 17th century. He was born in 1585 and died in 1647.

In the 18th century, the Bailes surname was well-established in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Warwickshire, Gloucestershire, and Lincolnshire. One notable figure from this period was William Bailes, a renowned architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Old Treasury Building in Whitehall. He was born in 1724 and died in 1792.

Moving into the 19th century, the name Bailes continued to be found across England, with some bearers of the surname achieving notable achievements. One such individual was John Bailes, a prominent English poet and writer who was born in 1819 and died in 1888.

Another notable figure was Sir George Bailes, a British military officer and explorer who served in the Indian Army and was instrumental in the exploration and mapping of the Himalayas. He was born in 1842 and died in 1915.

While the surname Bailes is not among the most common in England, it has a long and rich history, with many notable bearers contributing to various fields throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bailes

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

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 Bailes 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 Bailes 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 Bailes was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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