Fun Facts About the Name Baley
- 436 babies named Baley: U.S. records list 436 babies given the name Baley from 1880 through 2025. Even 103 boys received the name Baley - about 1 boy for every 3 girls.
What Does the Name Baley Mean?
Baley is usually treated as a variant spelling of the English name Bailey. Its established meaning is occupational: a bailiff or steward, an official who managed an estate, collected rents, or oversaw local affairs. The name comes from Old French bailli (also baillif), meaning "bailiff" or "steward," a word ultimately from Latin baiulus, "porter" or "carrier." The Latin root is historical background, not the everyday sense of the name. A separate English word bailey, from Old French baile "enclosure," refers to a castle courtyard or outer wall, and some Bailey surnames may come from that word instead. For Baley, the usual explanation is the occupational Bailey name, but the spelling is uncommon enough that an occasional family example could belong to another surname with a similar form.
Baley Name History & Origins
The ancestor name is the English surname Bailey, recorded in medieval England after the Norman Conquest. It derives from Old French bailli or baillif, an official who served a king, lord, or court as a steward, rent collector, or local administrator. English surnames often arose from a person's office or occupation, so men who held such posts could be called le Bailey or similar. The standard spelling became Bailey, while Baley, Bayley, Bailie, and Baillie are among the variants found in Britain, Ireland, and later in English-speaking countries. The castle bailey is a separate English word and a possible source for some Bailey families, but it is not the usual explanation for Baley. In modern use, Bailey is also a given name, and Baley is a less common spelling of that given name. A well-known literary use of the surname is Elijah Baley in Isaac Asimov's Robot novels, beginning with The Caves of Steel; that is a modern fictional use and does not establish the name's origin.
How Popular is the Name Baley?
Baley has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2002. Its best rank was #3,360 in 1997.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | #14,089 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2015 | #12,005 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #13,287 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2013 | #14,892 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2012 | #15,253 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #15,118 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #13,675 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2009 | #12,608 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #8,179 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2007 | #15,775 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #10,014 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2005 | #10,234 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2004 | #9,348 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2003 | #6,932 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2002 | #5,279 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2001 | #13,738 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #5,972 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1999 | #5,249 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1998 | #5,392 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1997 | #4,845 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1996 | #5,800 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1995 | #5,472 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1994 | #6,722 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1993 | #6,653 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1992 | #8,128 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1991 | #10,386 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1990 | #11,549 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #9,786 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1988 | #7,754 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1986 | #9,665 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | #11,654 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #11,061 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #10,852 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #4,698 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2000 | #5,606 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1999 | #4,556 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1998 | #5,876 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1997 | #3,360 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1996 | #6,031 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1995 | #8,991 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Baley Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You can go to great heights and equally great depths. You are emotional and fixed in your opinions. You are hospitable, sentimental, often psychic, sometimes moody. You are ruled by love and the lack of it and feel a need to be encouraged and appreciated. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Baley's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Baley's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.