Show ContentsBayliss History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Bayliss is derived from the Old French word baillis, which is the nominative form of the word bailliff. The name was originally occupational for a bailiff, a deputy of a king or lord, whose duties included collecting of rents and administering justice. In Wales, this name was for an agent of the English lords of the marches.

"The office, being of importance, was usually held by Normans of rank." [1]

Early Origins of the Bayliss family

The surname Bayliss was first found in Glamorganshire (Welsh: Sir Forgannwg), a region of South Wales, anciently part of the Welsh kingdom of Glywysing, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, long before the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Early History of the Bayliss family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bayliss research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1500, 1860 and 1924 are included under the topic Early Bayliss History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bayliss Spelling Variations

Although there are comparatively few Welsh surnames, they have a great many spelling variations. Variations of Welsh names began almost immediately after their acceptance within Welsh society. In the Middle Ages, it was up to priests and the few other people that recorded names in official documents to decide how to spell the names that they heard. Variations that occurred because of improper recording increased dramatically as the names were later transliterated into English. The Brythonic Celtic language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, featured many highly inflected sounds that could not be properly captured by the English language. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations were all indicated by the particular variation of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Bayliss have included Bayliss, Bailiss, Baliss, Balis, Balies, Bayles, Bayliff, Bayliffe, Bailiff, Bailiffe and many more.

Early Notables of the Bayliss family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was

  • Sir William Maddock Bayliss (1860-1924), an English physiologist, epoymn of the Bayliss Effect

Bayliss World Ranking

In the United States, the name Bayliss is the 15,277th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [2] However, in New Zealand, the name Bayliss is ranked the 963rd most popular surname with an estimated 776 people with that name. [3] And in the United Kingdom, the name Bayliss is the 811st popular surname with an estimated 8,340 people with that name. [4]

Ireland Migration of the Bayliss family to Ireland

Some of the Bayliss family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Bayliss migration to the United States +

Many Welsh joined the great migrations to North America in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Like their Scottish and Irish neighbors, many Welsh families left their homeland hoping to find hope and prosperity in a land that the English did not exercise a tight rule over. Those Welsh immigrants that successfully traveled to North America went on to make significant contributions to the rapid development of both Canada and the United States in terms of the settling of land and the establishment of industry. They also added to the rich cultural heritage of both countries. An examination into the immigration and passenger lists has discovered a number of people bearing the name Bayliss:

Bayliss Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Bayliss, who landed in New Haven, Connecticut in 1654 [5]
Bayliss Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Bayliss, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1773

Australia Bayliss migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Bayliss Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Joseph Bayliss, English convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 13th July 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [6]
  • Mr. Henry Bayliss, English convict who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "David Lyon" on 29th April 1830, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [7]
  • Miss Mary Bayliss, English convict who was convicted in Birmingham, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 22nd January 1846, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [8]

New Zealand Bayliss 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:

Bayliss Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Miss Sarah Bayliss, (b. 1846), aged 17, British domestic servant travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Brothers Pride" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 8th December 1863 [9]
  • Mr. Thomas Bayliss, (b. 1848), aged 15, British labourer travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Brothers Pride" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 8th December 1863 [9]
  • Mr. Mark Bayliss, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Glenmark" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 12th December 1868 [9]
  • S. R. Bayliss, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Excelsior" in 1870 [10]
  • Frederick Bayliss, aged 21, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Schiehallion" in 1872
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Bayliss migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. [11]
Bayliss Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • William Bayliss who settled in Barbados in 1663

Contemporary Notables of the name Bayliss (post 1700) +

  • Jonathan Bayliss (1926-2009), American novelist and playwright
  • Jonah James Bayliss (b. 1980), American Major League Baseball baseball relief pitcher
  • Garland E. Bayliss (b. 1924), American retired historian and director emeritus of academic services at Texas A&M University
  • Brendan Bayliss (b. 1976), American lead guitarist
  • Troy Bayliss (b. 1969), retired Australian motorcycle racer, three-time winner of the Superbike World Championship
  • Lisa Bayliss (b. 1966), English bronze medalist field hockey player at the 1992 Summer Olympics
  • John Bayliss (1919-2008), English poet and editor
  • George Bayliss (1895-1935), Australian Rules footballer
  • Edward Bayliss (1918-1989), English cricketer
  • David Bayliss (b. 1976), English footballer
  • ... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. Ronald Percy L Bayliss, British Stoker 2nd Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking [12]
HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Joseph Sidney Bayliss, British Mechanician 2nd Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking [13]
  • Mr. Edward J Bayliss, British Leading Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking [13]


  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. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  4. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  5. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-lyon
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 4th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
  9. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  10. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 4th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  12. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
  13. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html


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