How to say it
BAY · lor
/ˈbeɪ.lər/
Masculine
Baylor
Bailiff, horse-trainer
What it means
An English occupational surname, from a word for a bailiff or a trainer of horses.
Baylor is an English occupational surname tied to a bailiff or a handler of horses. It is best known through Baylor University in Texas, named for the 19th-century judge R.E.B. Baylor, and it moved into first-name use on the surname-and-place wave with Taylor and Sawyer. It reads bold and modern, with a confident two-beat ring. Bay is the soft short.
Popularity over time
peaked at #365 in 2024, currently #386 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Nickname
Bay drops out as a short.
- Worth knowing
Carries an echo of Baylor University.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Baylor University the Texas university that carries the surname
Spelling variants
- Bayler
- Bayler
Names with the same feeling
See Baylor from another angle
By style