Home › Baby Names Directory › Taylor

Taylor

♂ Boy

Pronounced TAY-lor /ˈteɪ.lər/High

Meaning: Tailor; one who cuts and sews garments; from Old French tailleur (cutter), from tailler (to cut)High

In 30 seconds: An English occupational surname meaning 'tailor' (cutter of garments), from Old French. One of the great unisex crossover names — historically male, it shifted female from the 1970s onward, and Taylor Swift has kept it culturally dominant for decades.

💕 Browse more names

Origin HighEnglish, French

MeaningTailor; one who cuts and sews garments; from Old French tailleur (cutter), from tailler (to cut)

U.S. rank (2025)#685 ↘ Falling

2025 U.S. births398 boys (0.02% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1992

Total births (all-time)≈ 113,535

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

Taylor is an English occupational surname from Old French tailleur (cutter), from tailler (to cut). Tailors were important artisans in medieval society, and the surname became one of the most common in England.

Taylor was primarily a boys' name through the mid-20th century but shifted decisively female from the 1970s–1990s. It ranked #667 for boys in 2024, declining from its peak.

Did you know? Taylor Swift — born in 1989 — is on track to become the highest-grossing touring artist of all time, and her name has had a complex relationship with baby-name charts: it was so common in the late 1990s that parents avoided it, then Swift's fame made it fashionable again.

Overall data confidence 96%

Behind the Name — Taylor — Old French etymologyU.S. Social Security Administration — popularity data

Variations

TaylerTailor

Nicknames

Tay

Famous Bearers

★Taylor Swift (1989–present)
American singer-songwriter and global pop phenomenon, one of the best-selling music artists of the 2010s and 2020s.

If you like Taylor…

Tyler— occupational surname name (tile maker) that followed the same gender-neutral trajectory

Spencer— occupational surname name that has made a similar crossover

Harper— occupational surname that went female-dominant, now girls' top 10

Sawyer— occupational surname name in the same American tradition

Explore names like Taylor

By themeenglish unisex two-syllable french surname-style occupational

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Taylor mean?

Taylor means 'tailor,' one who cuts and sews garments, from Old French tailleur (cutter).

How do you pronounce Taylor?

It's said TAY-lor — two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Taylor a boy or girl name?

Taylor is a well-established unisex name, historically male but now predominantly used for girls.

How popular is Taylor?

Taylor ranked #667 for U.S. boys in 2024.