2000
#11,371
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,544
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Baily
An English occupational surname referring to a steward or official in charge of a castle or fortified town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,264 Americans carry the last name Baily. That puts it at #14,522 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 151,393 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Baily 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 Baily with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 151,393
Census rank
#14,522
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,974 bearers of the surname Baily in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14522nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Baily, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Black (16.0%) and Hispanic (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Baily
The surname Baily is derived from the Old French word 'baillie', which means an enclosed area of land or an administrative division. The name has its origins in Normandy, France, and is believed to have emerged in the 11th century.
Baily was initially an occupational surname given to those who held the position of a bailiff or a local magistrate responsible for enforcing laws and collecting taxes. The first recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, the name Baily became widespread across England, particularly in the counties of Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, and Leicestershire. Some notable early bearers of the name include Roger Baily, who was recorded as a landowner in Northamptonshire in 1199, and William Baily, a merchant from Leicester mentioned in a charter dated 1275.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings such as Bayly, Baylie, and Baylie-Hamilton, reflecting regional pronunciation variations. One prominent individual from this period was John Baily, a philosopher and theologian who lived from 1285 to 1349 and was known for his works on logic and metaphysics.
The 16th and 17th centuries saw the emergence of several notable figures with the surname Baily. Among them were Sir Walter Baily (1529-1592), an English soldier and politician who served as Governor of Guernsey, and Nathaniel Baily (1615-1684), a Puritan minister and author who was a prominent figure in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Baily name continued to be associated with various professions and pursuits. Some notable bearers include Francis Baily (1774-1844), an English astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of comets and the Earth's density, and Edward Hodges Baily (1788-1867), a renowned British sculptor best known for his marble sculptures adorning the base of Nelson's Column in London.
Throughout its history, the surname Baily has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including artists, scientists, lawyers, and military personnel. While the name's origins can be traced back to Normandy and the administrative roles of bailiffs, it has since become a widespread surname across various countries and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Baily
Among Census respondents with the surname Baily, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Black (16.0%) and Hispanic (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Baily 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 Baily surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.0% · 1,461
- Black or African American16.0% · 316
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 115
- Two or more races2.5% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Baily
Baily 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
#11,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,615
+71 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 583 places
2020
#14,522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,974
-641 bearers (-24.5%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 2,568 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,371 | 2,544 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,954 | 2,615 | 0.89 | +71 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 583 places |
| 2020 | #14,522 | 1,974 | 0.66 | -641 bearers (-24.5%) | Down 2,568 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 Baily 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 | #11,954 | #14,522 | -21.5% |
| Count | 2,615 | 1,974 | -24.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.89 | 0.66 | -25.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Baily bearers went from 2,615 to 1,974 (-24.5% change). The surname moved down 2,568 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,954 to #14,522.
FAQ
Baily surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Baily?
Name Census estimates that about 2,264 living Americans carry the surname Baily. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 151,393 residents.
How common is Baily?
Baily ranks #14,522 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,974 people with the surname Baily. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,264), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Baily.
Has Baily become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Baily went from 2,615 recorded bearers to 1,974. That is a decrease of 641 (-24.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,954 to #14,522.
What does the Census say about the background of Baily?
Among Census respondents with the surname Baily, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Black (16.0%) and Hispanic (5.8%). 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 Baily in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.0% (1,461 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Baily appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.0%), Black (16.0%), Hispanic (5.8%). 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 Baily (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 Baily mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a steward or official in charge of a castle or fortified town. 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 Baily (0.66 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 last name Baily?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Baily on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.