Taylor: Baby Name of the Day

The baby name Taylor dominated the 1990s, and went on to become one of the most famous names of a generation.

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

WHAT DOES THE NAME TAYLOR MEAN?

Few of us sew our own clothing, but we all instinctively understand the work of a tailor. A tailor makes garments. If we’re watching Bridgerton, women might visit a dressmaker or even a modiste, while tailors are for the gentlemen.

But it’s an obvious occupation, and thus a logical surname name, too.

It comes from the Late Latin taliare – to cut. In Old French, it became tailleor. (And back in the day, a stone mason might also be called a tailor.) It traveled to England with the Norman invasion, and eventually became the job we recognize – tailor – as well as a slightly different spelling for the surname: Taylor. 

The word survives in French, too, as tailleur. 

Plenty of languages include similar surnames: Schneider in German, Szabo in Hungarian.

But it’s Taylor that dominates in English, absorbing other names with similar sounds along the way.

Zachary Taylor served as twelfth president of of the United States, from 1849 to 1850, dying in office.

ELIZABETH TAYLOR

While she’s not the first famous figure – not by a long shot – Elizabeth Taylor is probably a big reason this sounded like a possible girl’s name.

At the age of twelve, she starred in 1944’s National Velvet. Her career spanned decades, and included two Academy Awards for Best Actress, along with many other accoldates. Later in life became an activist, fundraiser, and founder of The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.

It’s enough to make Taylor a hero name.

But she doesn’t get credit for the name’s success.

TAYLOR AS A GIVEN NAME

The baby name Taylor first charted for girls in 1979. Actress Taylor Miller debuted as Nina Cortlandt on All My Children. Born Linda Taylor Miller, she would play Nina for five years straight, and make cameos through 2010.

That same year, Taylor debuted in the girls’ Top 1000 at #976. By 1982, the name ranked #380.

Meanwhile, Taylor had always ranked as a boy’s given name. It continued to do so, even as Taylor became one of the trendiest last name possibilities for a daughter. 

It wasn’t just about celebrity. Instead, Taylor was the perfect name for that moment.

Taylor fit right in with fresh choices for girls: Megan, Lauren, Alexis, Caitlin/Kaitlyn, Madison, Chelsea, Justine. They marked a sharp departure from Baby Boomer favorties like Lisa, Linda, and Brenda.

It was also a good moment for occupational surnames in general. Names like Carter and Mason leapt up the charts during the 1990s. Tyler reached the boys’ Top Ten during the decade.

Something else that helped: by that point, almost no one worked as a cutter of cloth. But fashion design felt glamorous, and Taylor seemed vaguely associated.

As the name climbed in use, pop culture boosted it, too:

• Richard Liebeskind’s dad once designed a best-selling dress named Ann Taylor. When Liebeskind opened a clothing store of his own in Connecticut, he decided to name the store “Ann Taylor.” The company went public in 1991, and has continued to thrive.
• Another soap opera boost came from actress Hunter Tylo. She played Dr. Taylor Hayes on The Bold and the Beautiful from 1990 through 2002. Days of our Lives also introduced a character by the name in 1998.

FAMOUS PEOPLE NAMED TAYLOR

From 1988 to 1997, the baby name Taylor ranked in the boys’ Top 100, even as the name spent 1993 to 2000 in girls’ Top Ten.

Along the way, many a famous person wore the name, including:

• Gossip Girl star Taylor Momsen graduated to become the lead singer of rock band The Pretty Reckless. 
• Actor Taylor Lautner, born in 1992, who became a breakout star thanks to played werewolf Jacob Black in the Twlight movies. 
• A Canadian actor – Taylor Kitsch – became a household name playing a Texas high school football star on Friday Night Lights in the early 2000s. 
• Bryan Cranston gave the name to his daughter. Taylor Dearden is now an actress in her own right, currently starring in medical drama The Pitt on Max. 
• Actress Taylor Schilling played Piper on Orange is the New Black.
• Country music’s Garth Brooks also has a daughter by the name, also all grown-up – though she very much avoids the spotlight. 
• The late drummer Taylor Hawkins was a long-standing member of mega rock band The Foo Fighters.
• Taylor Sheridan is best known as the creator of Yellowstone and associated shows.

But there’s one Taylor that instantly comes to mind.

TAYLOR SWIFT

American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift is among the most famous women in the world, the star of the record-breaking Erastour, mutliple Grammys for Album of the Year, and too many accolades to count.

It’s hard to overstate her cultural impact.

However, given names are one place Swift hasn’t influenced us – at least not in terms of her own name. Born in 1989 as the popularity of the name Taylor neared its peak, she reminds us that Taylor? Is a grown-up name now.

HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME TAYLOR?

If Taylor reached peak popularity in the 1990s, the question remains: is this an enduring classic, or a bit of a trend?

As of 2023, the baby name Taylor ranks #261 for girls and #591 for boys. While it’s clearly falling for our daugthers, Taylor is holding steady for our sons. If anything, it is increasing modestly in use. 

The increased popularity for boys might have something to do with Yellowstone’s Taylor Sheridan. The show has sent character names like Dutton and Kayce into the US Top 1000, so it’s not a stretch to imagine his name influencing parents, too. 

Taylor was heard across the English-speaking world, ranking in the boys’ Top 100 for England and Wales during the early 2000s. It was also heard in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Beyond the United Kingdom, Taylor fared well in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. 

There’s no question that the name was most popular in the United States.

While Taylor may be falling, the name’s influence can be felt in other ways. Saylor and Baylor can be seen as variants of Taylor.

WORLD-CHANGING NAME

The baby name Taylor has reached maturity. World-changing women and men answer to this strong, straightforward choice. It suggests creativity and a certain kind of style. 

While it continues to fall in use for our children, such is the name’s success that it’s easy to imagine it making a comeback in another few decades, right about the time Isla and Olivia become grandmothers.

What do you think of the baby name Taylor? 

First published on November 13, 2014, this post was revised on February 18, 2025.