UK name, mostly boys
Bailie
A feminine name of Scottish origin meaning "court attendant".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2018. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Also recorded as a girls' name in the UK, with 119 girls.
Bailie is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Bailie popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2018 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4749, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2005, with 9 births.
This profile covers 101 England and Wales registrations across 19 recorded years from 1997 to 2018. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 33% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 147 living people in the UK are called Bailie. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2019 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Bailie ranked #4749 for boys in England and Wales in 2018, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2005, when 9 boys were registered as Bailie.
- • Bailie ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #398 in 2013.
- • Bailie is also recorded for girls, but the boys side is the larger UK variant in these records.
- • About 147 living people in the UK are estimated to have Bailie as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 54.1% of Bailie registrations are for girls.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4749
2018
Births in 2018
3
Latest year
Peak year
2005
9 births
Estimated living
147
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Bailie
In England and Wales birth records, Bailie has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 45.9% of registrations are for boys and 54.1% are for girls.
These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.
Bailie registered for boys
- Ranked #4,749 in 2018
- 3 boys registered in 2018
- Peak: 2005 (9 births)
Bailie registered for girls
- Ranked #5,891 in 2024
- 3 girls registered in 2024
- Peak: 2007 (9 births)
Meaning
What does Bailie mean?
The name Bailie is a Scottish diminutive form of the name Baillie, derived from the Old French word "baillie" meaning "steward" or "officer of the court." It emerged during the Middle Ages in Scotland, where the Baillie was an important administrative and judicial position.
The earliest recorded use of the name Bailie dates back to the 13th century in Scotland, where it was often used as a surname for those who held the position of Baillie. One notable historical figure with this name was Sir William Baillie (c. 1268-1315), a Scottish nobleman and participant in the Wars of Scottish Independence against England.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Bailie became more commonly used as a given name, particularly among Scottish families with connections to the legal or administrative professions. One famous bearer of the name was Robert Baillie (1599-1662), a Scottish Presbyterian minister and principal of the University of Glasgow, who played a significant role in the Solemn League and Covenant during the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, the name Bailie gained popularity beyond Scotland, with notable individuals such as Baillie Waveney Noel (1775-1843), an English soldier and Member of Parliament. Another prominent figure was Baillie Cochrane (1758-1829), a Scottish naval officer and politician who served as Governor of the Leeward Islands.
The 19th century saw the name Bailie continue to be used across the United Kingdom and its colonies. One notable example was Bailie Grohman (1838-1913), an English author and sportsman who wrote extensively about hunting and outdoor pursuits. In Australia, Bailie Paten Henderson (1804-1886) was a prominent pastoralist and landowner in the colony of New South Wales.
While the name Bailie has its origins in Scotland and was particularly prevalent among Scottish families, it has been used throughout the English-speaking world, often associated with individuals involved in law, politics, or administration. Its rich history reflects the name's connection to the legal and administrative tradition of medieval Scotland.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Bailie over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Bailie in England and Wales, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Bailie, the clearest high point is 2005. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2018, compared with 9 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bailie by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Bailie was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #3923 | 29 | 7 |
| 2000s | #2236 | 59 | 9 |
| 1990s | #2343 | 13 | 3 |
Geography
Where Bailie is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Bailie. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Bailie ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #398 in 2013.
Across the UK
Bailie in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#487 in 2006
2 years of NRS records, 8 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#398 in 2013
11 years of NISRA records, 39 total registered
Related
Names similar to Bailie
- Benjamin 90,412
- Ben 36,356
- Bradley 30,230
- Brandon 26,411
- Billy 18,608
- Bobby 16,904
- Blake 16,337
- Bailey 16,014
- Brody 7,230
- Beau 6,722
- Barnaby 5,284
- Brodie 4,801
FAQ
Bailie: questions and answers
How popular is the name Bailie in the UK right now?
In 2018, Bailie was ranked #4749 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Bailie most popular?
The peak year on record was 2005, with 9 babies registered as Bailie in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Bailie?
A feminine name of Scottish origin meaning "court attendant".
How many people are called Bailie in the UK?
A total of 101 babies have been registered as Bailie across the 19 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 8 more in Scotland and 39 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Bailie most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Bailie ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #398 in 2013. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.