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Bayard
How to Pronounce Bayard
Pronounced BAY-erd /ˈbeɪ.ərd/Medium
Meaning: Bayard comes from the Old French bayard, 'reddish-brown' or 'bay-colored', and is famous as the name of Bayard, the magical bay horse of medieval French legend. It also honors the fearless knight Chevalier de Bayard.Medium
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Bayard is an Old French name from bayard, 'reddish-brown', originally describing a bay-colored horse. It became legendary through Bayard, the enchanted steed of the four sons of Aymon in medieval romance, and gained a chivalric aura from the Chevalier de Bayard, celebrated as the fearless, blameless knight; it passed into English partly as a surname and honor name.
As an American given name Bayard was never common, appearing quietly from the eighteen-eighties and reaching only a few dozen boys a year around its high point near 1918. Someone named Bayard then would be elderly or passed on now, and the name reads as a dignified vintage and surname-honoring choice rather than one in current revival.
Variations
Nicknames
Famous Bearers
- ★Bayard Rustin (1912-1987)American civil rights organizer who was a key strategist of the 1963 March on Washington.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Bayard mean?
Bayard is an Old French name meaning 'reddish-brown', tied to a legendary magic horse.
How do you pronounce Bayard?
It's said BAY-erd /ˈbeɪ.ərd/ - two syllables, stress on the first.
Is Bayard a boy or girl name?
Bayard is used as a boy's name.
How popular is Bayard?
Bayard is rare, a dignified vintage French name used quietly since the early nineteen-hundreds.