Baby Name of the Day: Saylor

The baby name Saylor blends surname style with all things coastal.

Thanks to Rebecca for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.

WHAT DOES THE NAME SAYLOR MEAN?

We all have a general image of a sailor. It’s a … boat worker. Maybe they’re in a military uniform, or maybe they’re out for a casual adventure. 

There’s a range of options, but they’re all at sea.

Before sailors were sailors, they were called seamen, seafarers, or mariners. Those might make for more accurate terms today. After all, relatively few ships rely on sails now.

As it happens, seaman or mariner was the preferred term in English until at least 1400.

The Old French word sailleor or saillour eventually became sailor in MIddle English.

But here’s a twist: by the 15th century, the surname already existed. Sailor was originally a term that referred to a dancer or acrobat. It comes from the Latin salire – to leap. 

So it is an occupational surname … but not for the occupation we typically imagine.

The word sail – noun and verb – has German roots. Sailer evolved naturally in English, from sail.

Regardless of the exact origins, countless people have become sailors across the centuries.

SAILOR VERSUS SAYLOR

The spelling Saylor has a long history of use, too, as another form of Sailor. 

Just like Taylor is a surname related to the occupation tailor, Saylor is sometimes seen, too.

Taylor was an early favorite in the current surnames-as-first-names trend. Madison, Harper, and Avery followed. 

This gives Saylor and Sailor a second reason to appeal. It’s a girl’s name borrowed from all things coastal, but also a surname-style pick.

But why is this more common for our daughters, and not another unisex name? 

SAILOR MOON AND CHRISTIE BRINKLEY

Credit two things.

First: Sailor Moon.

The manga-anime empire debuted in the 1990s, and has remained popular ever since.

Sailor Soldiers are schoolgirls charged with saving the world. By day, they’re ordinary – even uninspiring – children. But transformed into their alter egos, they’re downright heroic.

Not only is Sailor Moon the group’s leader, she’s also the reincarnation of Princess Serenity. In English, her given name is Serena Tsukino. In Japanese, she’s Usagi Tsukino. The anime influenced the rise of more than one name.

Around the same time that Sailor Moon debuted, supermodel Christie Brinkley and husband Peter Cook welcomed a daughter. Sailor Lee Brinkley Cook arrived in July of 1998. Brinkley explained that Cook’s family traces their heritage to Captain James Cook. Cook was the first European to map much of the Pacific, including Hawaii.

It’s an interesting way to combine family heritage into a child’s name in a completely unexpected fashion.

Combined with Taylor’s dominance on baby name charts in recent years, and it was only a matter of time until Sailor followed.

POPULARITY OF THE NAME SAYLOR

The baby name Sailor debuted in the United States boys’ data in 1997, with five births. A year later, 10 girls and 6 boys received the name.

As of 2024, 170 girls and 48 boys were named Sailor.

Saylor, as it happens, claims an even longer history of use:

• Way back in 1917, five boys were named Saylor.
• In 1992, five girls were named Saylor, marking the name’s debut as a girl’s name.
• It’s been consistently more popular for girls since the 1990s. As of the year 2000, 96 girls and 17 boys received the name.
• In 2013, Saylor entered the girls’ Top 1000.

As of 2024, the baby name Saylor ranks #231 for girls born in the US. That represents over 1300 births. Another 65 boys were also named Saylor. 

While it’s widely recognized throughout the English-speaking world, it’s really only reached mainstream popularity across the United States. It remains relatively unknown in Australia, Canada, or the United Kingdom. 

BLEND OF APPEALING TRENDS

If you’re looking for something that’s tailored, but tied to the natural world, Saylor could be the perfect name. It’s less elaborate than nature names like Marigold or Azalea, but more obviously tied to an image than Ellison or Kinsley.

Overall, it’s an appealing blend of two trends – the ocean/coastal nature name vibe together with our love of surnames like Sutton and Taylor.

What do you think of the baby name Saylor?

First published on July 31, 2014, this post was revised on February 5, 2024.