2000
#66
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 265,916
First available Census row
Per 100,000 98.57
Common Last name
Bailey
An occupational surname referring to a steward or bailiff, derived from the Middle English word "bailli."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 308,575 Americans carry the last name Bailey. That puts it at #73 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 90.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,111 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bailey surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bailey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
309K
1 in 1,111
Census rank
#73
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
90.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
269K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 269,092 bearers of the surname Bailey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 90.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 73rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bailey, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.4%. The next largest groups are Black (21.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bailey
Among Census respondents with the surname Bailey, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.4%. The next largest groups are Black (21.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bailey bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Bailey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.4% · 186,752
- Black or African American21.7% · 58,326
- Two or more races4.5% · 11,989
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 8,757
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1,723
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1,545
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bailey
Bailey appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#72
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 277,845
+11,929 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 94.19
Rank movement Down 6 places
2020
#73
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 269,092
-8,753 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 90.03
Rank movement Down 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #66 | 265,916 | 98.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #72 | 277,845 | 94.19 | +11,929 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 6 places |
| 2020 | #73 | 269,092 | 90.03 | -8,753 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 1 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Bailey surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #72 | #73 | -1.4% |
| Count | 277,845 | 269,092 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 94.19 | 90.03 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bailey bearers went from 277,845 to 269,092 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #72 to #73.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bailey
FAQ
Bailey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bailey?
Name Census estimates that about 308,575 living Americans carry the surname Bailey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,111 residents.
How common is Bailey?
Bailey ranks #73 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 90.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 90 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 269,092 people with the surname Bailey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (308,575), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 90.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 90.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 90 of them to have the surname Bailey.
Has Bailey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bailey went from 277,845 recorded bearers to 269,092. That is a decrease of 8,753 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #72 to #73.
What does the Census say about the background of Bailey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bailey, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.4%. The next largest groups are Black (21.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bailey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.4% (186,752 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bailey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.4%), Black (21.7%), Two or More Races (4.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Bailey (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Bailey mean?
An occupational surname referring to a steward or bailiff, derived from the Middle English word "bailli." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Bailey (90.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Bailey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.