Bailey is a distinctive choice, ranked #260 in 2025. Your child is likely to be the only Bailey in their class.
💎
UK Rank 2025
#260
US Rank #182
Ad
About the Name Bailey
Bailey has seen a notable decline in recent years, dropping 121 places in five years. It was most popular in 2003 at #337 — parents choosing it today are making a deliberately counter-trend decision. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Bailey is fairly common in the UK, so your child is very likely to be the only Bailey in their class.
In the US it ranks even higher at #182, where it enjoys a particularly strong following.
⭐ Famous People Named Bailey
Nicholas Bailey — Nicholas Richard Bailey is a British actor, best known for his role as Anthony Trueman in the soap opera EastEnders.
Glenda Bailey — Dame Glenda Adrianne Bailey is a former editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar, a monthly fashion magazine published by the Hearst Corporation.
Pearl Bailey — Pearl Mae Bailey was an American actress, singer, comedian and author.
Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Bailey
Unlikely. With around 178 UK babies named Bailey per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Bailey in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Bailey has been fairly steady, ranked #260 in 2025 against #226 in 2020. Its best recorded position was #62 in 2005.
Bailey is more popular in the US (#182) than in the UK (#795). Names with strong rankings in both countries tend to have broad cross-cultural appeal, working well for international families or those with ties to both nations.
Notable people named Bailey include: Nicholas Bailey, Glenda Bailey and Darren Bailey. Short summaries for each appear below.
Bailey appears in the US top 500 at #182 in 2024 — moderately popular in America, though less so than in the UK.
178
UK babies named Bailey (2025)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.4
In a school of 600
↓ 34 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Bailey
Almost certainly the only Bailey in the class
Ad
UK Popularity (1996–2025)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2020–2024)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Bailey
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Francis Lee Bailey Jr. was an American criminal defense attorney and author of "The Defense Never Rests." Born in Waltham, Massachusetts, Bailey first came to nationwide attention for his involvement in the second murder trial of Sam Sheppard, a surgeon accused of murdering his wife.
Darren Bailey is an American politician who was a Republican member of the Illinois Senate for the 55th District and previously a member of the Illinois House of Representatives for the 109th District in Southern Illinois.
In the early morning hours of May 9, 2021, Tristyn Tyne Bailey, a 13-year-old middle schooler and cheerleader, was murdered by Aiden Fucci, a 14-year-old schoolmate, in St.