Bailey

Bailey is the transferred use of a medieval English surname derived from either an occupation name or one of two place names. From an occupational perspective, Bailey developed from the Old French word “baillif” which was used to signify a steward or an administrative official (i.e., a bailiff, an officer of the court). The place name origin comes from the Middle English word “bail(l)y” which indicated one who lived by a fortified town or near the walls of a castle. The other location-based origin comes from the town of Bailey in Lancashire, which gets its name from the Olde English words “bēg” (berry) and “lēah” (wood, clearing). In this case, the surname would have been given to one who hailed from or dwelled near a settlement built in a meadow cleared of berry shrubs. The first recoded spelling of this English surname was rendered as Baylly and appeared in the 13th century. Baylegh and Bayley were also earlier versions of Bailey. It’s not clear when Bailey was adopted as a personal given name. It’s currently a Top 100 name choice for baby boys in England and Australia, but the reverse is true in America where the name is almost exclusively considered female.