How Many People Are Named Bailey?
An estimated 127,090 people in the United States have the first name Bailey. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #427 overall. It is used for both genders, with 83.5% female. The average bearer is 22 years old, and Bailey peaked in popularity in 1998 with 7,438 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Bailey as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Bailey paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Bailey has undergone a significant gender shift. Originally given predominantly to boys, it is now more commonly a girls' name.
Estimated Living Americans
127,090
About 1 in 2,697 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Female
83.5% confidence
Average Age
22
years old
Peak Year
1998
7,438 births
Total Registered
130,947
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Bailey
Bailey is predominantly female (83.5%), though 21,603 male births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Bailey as a male name
Ranked #1,266 in 2024
155 male births in 2024
Peak: 1997 (2,296 births)
Bailey as a female name
Ranked #182 in 2024
1,644 female births in 2024
Peak: 1998 (5,199 births)
Bailey in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 111,403 people with the first name Bailey, which placed it at #506 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Bailey was recorded as predominantly female. Out of 111,403 people with this name in that snapshot, 15.7% were male and 84.3% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is female 83.5% of the time.
Census Count
111,403
people with this name
Census Rank
#506
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
36.88
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Bailey was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (82.15%). The next largest recorded groups were Hispanic (5.99%) and Two or More Races (4.89%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Bailey in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Bailey.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 82.15% | 91,522 |
| Hispanic | 5.99% | 6,678 |
| Two or More Races | 4.89% | 5,450 |
| Black | 4.87% | 5,420 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.22% | 1,363 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.87% | 970 |
Bailey: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Bailey span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2000s, when 43,771 babies were registered. Bailey has declined significantly from its peak in the 2000s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Bailey by Decade
How has Bailey tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 78 | 78 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 116 | 116 | 0 | |
| 1900s | 111 | 111 | 0 | |
| 1910s | 301 | 295 | 6 | |
| 1920s | 396 | 390 | 6 | |
| 1930s | 367 | 367 | 0 | |
| 1940s | 302 | 302 | 0 | |
| 1950s | 292 | 287 | 5 | |
| 1960s | 197 | 197 | 0 | |
| 1970s | 198 | 170 | 28 | |
| 1980s | 4,560 | 477 | 4,083 | |
| 1990s | 41,551 | 9,928 | 31,623 | |
| 2000s | 43,771 | 6,891 | 36,880 | |
| 2010s | 29,655 | 1,357 | 28,298 | |
| 2020s | 9,052 | 637 | 8,415 | |
Bailey by State
Birth registrations for Bailey span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Texas, California, Ohio. The lowest are in District of Columbia, Rhode Island, Delaware. On average, about 2,476 Baileys were registered per state.
Bailey + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Bailey as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Bailey
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
Bailey: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bailey?
We estimate approximately 127,090 people named Bailey are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 2,697 Americans share this first name.
Is Bailey a common name?
Bailey is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.6% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 130,947 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Bailey most popular?
Bailey reached peak popularity in 1998, when 7,438 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Bailey is approximately 22 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Bailey in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 111,403 people with the first name Bailey. That placed it at #506 in the published Census first-name tables, or 36.88 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Bailey was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Bailey?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Bailey was recorded as predominantly female. The published split was 15.7% male and 84.3% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Bailey?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Bailey was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (82.15%). The next largest recorded groups were Hispanic (5.99%) and Two or More Races (4.89%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Bailey a female name?
Bailey is predominantly female. 83.5% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Bailey have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Bailey peaked in 1998, and the average living bearer is about 22 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Bailey Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Bailey Smith, Bailey Johnson, Bailey Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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