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Sailor

♂ Boy

Pronounced SAY-luhr /ˈseɪ.ləɹ/Medium

Meaning: Acrobat, dancerMedium

In 30 seconds: Sailor is used in English as a boy's name with the recorded meaning 'acrobat, dancer'.
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Origin MediumEnglish
MeaningAcrobat, dancer
U.S. rank (2024)#2731 ↗ Rising
2024 U.S. births48 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year2022
Total births (all-time)≈ 646

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 202219972024

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

History & Origin

Sailor appears in English with the surprising recorded meaning 'acrobat, dancer', a sense that runs against the seafaring image the word usually brings to mind. That gap between the everyday word and the name's listed meaning makes it an unusual choice. It works as a word-name that carries a movement-related sense.

The familiar, breezy sound of the word gives the name an easy, modern appeal. No specific public bearer is listed for the boy's form here.

Did you know? Sailor is a spelling variant of Saylor, so it keeps the same core meaning of 'acrobat, dancer' while changing the visual style.
Overall data confidence 78%
Behind the Name - Sailor — etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration — 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSV

Variations

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Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

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If you like Sailor…

Sawyer— Shares the occupational word-name pattern and S- sound.

Frequently Asked

What does the name Sailor mean?

Sailor is usually explained as meaning 'acrobat, dancer' and is most often linked with English tradition.

How do you pronounce Sailor?

It's commonly said SAY-luhr /ˈseɪ.ləɹ/.

Is Sailor a boy or girl name?

In this batch and in recent U.S. usage data, Sailor is used as a boy name.

How popular is Sailor?

In 2024, Sailor ranked #2731 in the U.S. for boys, with 48 births recorded.