Show ContentsBailey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Bailey Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Bailey

What does the name Bailey mean?

The name Bailey reached England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Bailey is for a person who held the civil office of the same name in Normandy. The title 'Le Bailli' was approximately equal to that of Viscount or sheriff. 1 There was also a place named Bailleul-En-Vimeu which is about six miles south of Abbeyville in the Somme, Normandy from which some instances of the surname may have evolved. The name Bailey is also an occupational name for a steward or official, deriving from "baiulivus" in Late Latin. In Scotland the word bailie, rather than bailiff is still used as the title for an officer in the courts.

Early Origins of the Bailey family

The surname Bailey was first found in Northumberland. However, there is still great controversy over the earliest origins of the name. There was great popular belief that the name was changed from Balliol, due to the unpopularity of the two Scottish Kings of that name. However, many historians, such as Bain, find no evidence for such a change, and cite very early instances of the name Baillie, such as William de Bailli, who appeared as a juror on an inquest concerning forfeited lands in Lothian around 1311-12. 2

Early records of the Baillie Clan indicate that the aforementioned William de Bailli was also known as Baillie of Hoperig, who acquired the lands of Lamington in Lanarkshire. His son William was granted a charter confirming ownership of these same lands in 1358. Alexander, the eldest grandson of William and two brothers fled the country after they had beaten and killed their tutor. After serving in the army, Alexander received the lands of Dunain and Dochfour, and was appointed the Constable of Inverness. Another brother of Alexander's married a daughter of Sir Patrick Hume's in 1492, and from this union descended the Baillies of Jerviswood.

Early History of the Bailey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bailey research. Another 189 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1240, 1292, 1296, 1308, 1332, 1338, 1585, 1587, 1589, 1610, 1611, 1630, 1632, 1634, 1644, 1648, 1657, 1664, 1667, 1671, 1684, 1691, 1701, 1719, 1720, 1721, 1738, 1740, 1741, 1744, 1749, 1764, 1872 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Bailey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bailey Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries. For that reason, spelling variations are common among many Anglo-Norman names. The shape of the English language was frequently changed with the introduction of elements of Norman French, Latin, and other European languages; even the spelling of literate people's names were subsequently modified. Bailey has been recorded under many different variations, including Baillie, Bailey, Bailie, Bayly, Bayley, Bailley, Baly, Ballye, Bayllie and many more.

Early Notables of the Bailey family

  • Thomas Bailey (Bayly) (died c. 1657) was a 17th-century English religious controversialist, a Royalist Church of England clergyman who converted to Roman Catholicism

Bailey World Ranking

Australia, the name Bailey is the 82nd most popular surname with an estimated 29,313 people with that name. 3 However, in New Zealand, the name Bailey is ranked the 93rd most popular surname with an estimated 4,154 people with that name. 4 And in the United Kingdom, the name Bailey is the 65th popular surname with an estimated 69,972 people with that name. 5 Canada ranks Bailey as 180th with 20,095 people. 6 Newfoundland, Canada ranks Bailey as 114th with 306 people. 7 The United States ranks Bailey as 60th with 286,005 people. 8 South Africa ranks Bailey as 663rd with 10,265 people. 9

Migration of the Bailey family to Ireland

Some of the Bailey family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 175 words (12 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bailey migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the First Fleet and Second Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

First Fleet
  • Mr. Thomas Bailey, (b. 1771), aged 18, British settler convicted in Middlesex, England in 1788, sentenced to 7 years for theft, transported aboard the ship "Neptune, Scarborough or Surprize" leaving in 1789 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1790 10
Second Fleet
  • Mr. Joseph Bailey, (d. 1792), British settler convicted in Cambridgeshire, England in 1790, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Matilda" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 11
  • Mr. Paul Bailey, British settler convicted in London, England in 1790, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Active" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 11
  • Mr. Richard Bailey, (b. 1775), aged 15, British settler convicted in London, England in 1790, sentenced to 7 years for stealing a handkerchief, transported aboard the ship "Active" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 11
  • Mr. William Bailey, British settler convicted in Lincolnshire, England in 1789, sentenced to 14 years for theft, transported aboard the ship "Active" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 11
Following the First and Second Fleets, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

Bailey Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
  • Mr. William Bailey, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Barwell" in September 1797, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Bailey Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Bailey migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Bailey Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mrs C Bailey, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
  • Mr Bailey, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841 aboard the ship Antilla
  • Thomas Bailey, aged 28, a cabinet maker, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Gertrude" in 1841 16
  • Mary Bailey, aged 26, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Gertrude" in 1841 16
  • Mr. Bailey, British settler travelling from Cape of Good Hope, South Africa aboard the ship "Antilla" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 8th December 1841 17
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Bailey (post 1700) +

  • Pearl Mae Bailey (1918-1990), American actress, singer and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
  • Earle Wilfred Bailey OAM (1941-2023), Australian journalist, media personality, and Australian politician, member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 1983 to 1986
  • Christopher James Mannix Bailey (1957-2022), Kenya-born, Australian singer, songwriter, musician and producer, co-founder and singer of rock band the Saints
  • Michael John "Mike" Bailey OAM (1950-2021), Australian television weather presenter, journalism educator, political aspirant and football club chairman
  • Eric Bailey (1906-1946), Australian recipient of the George Cross
  • Cullen Benjamin Bailey (b. 1985), Australian cricketer
  • Eric George Bailey GC (1906-1945), New South Wales Police Officer posthumously awarded the George Cross
  • Jonathan Stuart Bailey (b. 1988), English Laurence Olivier Award and a Critics' Choice Television Award winning actor known for his dramatic, comedic, and musical roles, named as People's Sexiest Man Alive in 2025
  • Thomas Graham Bailey (1920-2024), English professional footballer
  • ... (Another 58 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Centaur
  • William Henry Bailey (1912-1943), Australian Private who died aboard the ship "Centaur" an Australian hospital ship when torpedoed on 14th May 1943
  • Mr. George Bailey, British Fireman from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland (1914) and survived the sinking 18
  • Mr. Fred  Bailey (1892-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 19
  • Frederick William Bailey (d. 1945), British Leading Stoker aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 20
  • Mr. Leonard W J Bailey (b. 1902), English Ordinary Signalman serving for the Royal Navy from Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 21
  • ... (Another 22 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Bailey Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Ubi bene ibi patria
Motto Translation: One's country is where one is well.

Suggested Readings for the name Bailey +

  • The Bailey Family: History and Genealogy of Descendants of Richard Bailey of Rowley, Massachusetts who came to Michigan by way of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York: 1635-1990 by Jeanne Bailey Ransom.
  • Ancestors and Descendants of AugustusRudolph and Lucy Hosmer Smith of Elmore, Vermont by Mariam Parr.
  1. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  2. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  3. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  4. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  5. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  6. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  7. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  8. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  9. "Most Common Last Names in South Africa." Forebears, https://forebears.io/south-africa/surnames
  10. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barwell
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-spencer
  14. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
  15. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/batavia
  16. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  17. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  18. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
  19. Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
  20. Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
  21. H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm

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