Holding steady.
Popularity of Baley since 1986
Babies named Baley per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls | Boys |
|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 22 | 0 |
| 1990s | 142 | 60 |
| 2000s | 123 | 43 |
| 2010s | 46 | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Baley is a modern English name that first appeared in U.S. records in 1986. It reached its peak popularity in 2002, though it has never ranked among the top 1000 names. The name has remained stable in usage since then, with a very low one-in-N rate indicating its rarity. Baley is most often a girl's name and reflects the trend of respelling established names like Bailey. Despite its lack of top states or widespread use, Baley fits within the fashionable -ey and -ee ending names of the 2000s.
Baley is likely a modern respelling or variant of the surname Bailey, which has two possible origins. It may derive from the Old French 'baillis' meaning 'bailiff', or from the Old English 'beg', meaning 'berry', combined with 'leah', meaning 'clearing' or 'meadow'. As a given name, it emerged in the late 20th century, particularly for girls, following the popularity of similar-sounding names like Bailey and Kayley.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Bay, Lee
Sibling names for Baley
Names that share Baley's style, for a brother or sister.
