Gaylord

Where Gaylord comes from

Derived from the Old French surname Gaillard (from gaillard (“strong”)), via Anglo-Norman. Compare Spanish Gallardo (from gallardo (“dashing, strapping, gallant”). Shaped by folk etymology into gay + lord.
— Wiktionary's entry for Gaylord
  • 2 syllables
Along the way
  1. 1882
    First appearance
    #943 among boys, 5 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
  2. 1902
    Gaylord Simpson born
    American paleontologist
  3. 1916
    Gaylord Nelson born
    American politician
  4. 1931
    Peak, #438
    168 babies named Gaylord — more than any year before or since.
  5. 1954
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #892.
In the dictionary
  • A male given name transferred from the surname, popular in the 20th century until the 1960s.
Namesakes
  • Gaylord Simpson · American paleontologist, 1902–1984
  • Gaylord Nelson · American politician, 1916–2005
  • Gaylord Perry · American Hall of Fame baseball player, 1938–2022
  • Gaylord Griswold · American politician, 1767–1809
  • Gaylord Fraser Lloyd · American film actor, 1888–1943

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.