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

Bailey, 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 Bailey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bailey in America

Bailey is the 72nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bailey surname appeared 277,845 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 94 people would have the surname Bailey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bailey 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 Bailey

The surname Bailey is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "baillie" or "bailif," which referred to a bailiff or administrative officer in medieval times. This occupational surname was initially given to those who held the position of a bailiff, responsible for overseeing the management of lands or estates.

The earliest recorded instances of the Bailey surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of England, such as Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Derbyshire. It is found in records like the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where individuals with the name Bailley or Bayly are mentioned.

One notable early figure bearing the Bailey surname was Walter Bailey, a member of the Parliament of England who represented Lincolnshire in the late 13th century. Another prominent individual was Sir Joseph Bailey, born in 1654, who served as a Member of Parliament for Hertfordshire and played a significant role in the Glorious Revolution of 1688.

The surname Bailey also has connections to various place names in England, such as Baileyfield in Essex, Baileygate in Lincolnshire, and Baileyhill in Warwickshire. These place names likely derived from the presence of a bailiff or the association with the Bailey surname.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Bailey surname gained further prominence with notable individuals like Nathan Bailey, an English lexicographer and philologist born in 1642, who compiled one of the earliest dictionaries of the English language. Additionally, there was William Bailey, a renowned English botanist and horticulturist born in 1784, known for his contributions to plant taxonomy and classification.

Another prominent figure was Sir William Henry Bailey, born in 1819, a British astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the theory of comets. He served as the President of the Royal Astronomical Society from 1879 to 1881.

These examples illustrate the historical presence and significance of the Bailey surname, which has its roots in medieval England and has been carried by individuals across various fields, including politics, literature, science, and academia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bailey

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

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

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

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