Where does the last name Bailey come from?

Answer 1

Bailey

status name for a steward or official, Middle English bail(l)i (Old French baillis, from Late Latin baiulivus, an adjectival derivative of baiulus ‘attendant’, ‘carrier’ ‘porter’).

topographic name for someone who lived by the outer wall of a castle, Middle English bail(l)y, baile ‘outer courtyard of a castle’, from Old

French bail(le) ‘enclosure’, a derivative of bailer ‘to enclose’, a word of unknown origin. This term became a place name in its own right, denoting a district beside a fortification or wall, as in the case of the Old Bailey in London, which formed part of the early medieval outer wall of the city.

habitational name from Bailey in Lancashire, named with Old English beg ‘berry’ + leah ‘woodland clearing’.

Anglicized form of French Bailly.

Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4

via

http://www.ancestry.com/facts/Bailey-name-meaning.ashx

Answer 2

George Bailey---It's a Wonderful Life

Answer 3

Being a Bailey myself I believe our name evolves from a guard of a castle, give me a day or two as I have a Sheet with all the details on

Answer 4

The meaning of the surname BAILEY is - one who was charged with public administrative authority for the king; one who came from Bailey (clearing where berries grew), in Lancashire.

Answer 5

Ireland

Answer 6

It's Middle English for "bailiff," a minor official. It also means the enclosed outdoor area of a castle and thus could be the name of someone who lived in or near there.

Answer 7

http://www.houseofnames.com/fc.asp?sId=&s=Bailey