Baby Name Trend Watch – Saylor and Sailor
| 9 June 2011 | Filed under Baby Names, Baby Names in the News, Boy Names, Girl Names, Unique Baby Names, Unisex Baby Names |
Yesterday I posted about a little girl named Sailor. Robin-Sailor, actually.
Hours later, I learned of another Sailor — the newborn daughter of The Boo Radleys vocalist Martin Carr and his wife Mary. (Mary and Martin did some hilarious tweeting during the labor/birth. “Oh great, I’ve run out of beer. This would never happen in the hospital. #homebirth” Gawker has more.)
Last year, I wrote a post for a reader with a son named Saylor.
Lots of Sailors and Saylors lately, which makes me wonder — will Sailor/Saylor be the next Sawyer? That is, will it be the next trendy, unisex noun-name? (Or occupational surname-name, however you want to view it.)
The oldest Sailor I can think of offhand is Christie Brinkley’s daughter Sailor, born in July of 1998. Brinkley’s Sailor helped jump-start this Saylor/Sailor trend in the first place, in fact:
- 2010 – 269 baby girls and 24 baby boys named Saylor/Sailor
- 2009 – 277 baby girls and 21 baby boys named Saylor/Sailor
- 2008 – 259 baby girls and 34 baby boys named Saylor/Sailor
- 2007 – 217 baby girls and 31 baby boys named Saylor/Sailor
- 2006 – 200 baby girls and 28 baby boys named Saylor/Sailor
- 2005 – 200 baby girls and 22 baby boys named Saylor/Sailor
- 2004 – 174 baby girls and 29 baby boys named Saylor/Sailor
- 2003 – 166 baby girls and 19 baby boys named Saylor/Sailor
- 2002 – 146 baby girls and 28 baby boys named Saylor/Sailor
- 2001 – 179 baby girls and 19 baby boys named Saylor/Sailor
- 2000 – 130 baby girls and at least 17 baby boys named Saylor/Sailor
- 1999 – 145 baby girls and 24 baby boys named Saylor/Sailor
- 1998 – 54 baby girls and 16 baby boys named Saylor/Sailor
How high do you think the name will go?
(Also, did you know that the surname Saylor does not refer to sailing on water? More like sailing through the air. According to the Dictionary of American Family Names, it’s an “occupational name for a dancer or acrobat” that can be traced back to the Old French word sailleor, meaning “dancer” or “leaper.”)
I think Saylor is also popular because of the Taylor trend.
That could definitely be part of it. Good thinking.
I’m not a huge fan of Saylor/Sailor but I do adore the Irish Saorla meaning “noble princess”.
I think Baylor is also popular, which leads me to think parents are trying to find alternatives to Taylor which is past its peak.
I named my daughter Saylor in 1998, but she would have been named in 1995 instead had her older brother been a girl! Saylor is a family name (surname) in our family and meaningful to us. We also liked it because we had never heard of anyone who was named Saylor, but it wasn’t hard to spell. Anyway, please don’t make it popular! We like that it isn’t.
Just named my baby girl Ssylor Quinn; didn’t know Christie Brinkley had one! Have had LOTS of positive feedback on her name, tho i don’t honestly care,,, i love it!
^Saylor
I named my baby boy Sailor in 2011 and we love it!
we are naming our daughter Saylor Grace, she is due in July. i adore it! suprisingly, i havent had any negative feedback yet. a lot of people really love it!