Taylor peaked in 1992 and has 113,137 total SSA bearers — one of the largest counts in this ranking range. At rank #667, it now sits at an unusual position: once a top-10 name for both boys and girls, it's become predominantly female in perception while remaining a legitimate choice for boys who want a name with genuine unisex credibility.
The Tailor's Trade and Its English Roots
Taylor comes from the Old English occupational surname for a tailor — one who cuts and sews cloth, from the Anglo-Norman tailleur. Occupational surnames that became given names (Cooper, Mason, Hunter, Taylor) went through a consistent arc in American naming: masculine surname to unisex given name to, in some cases, predominantly female territory. Taylor followed that path precisely, and it's one of the clearest examples of how American naming can shift a name's gender associations within a generation.
The Boys' Version Still Has a Case
Taylor for a boy carries a different read than Taylor for a girl — less pop-music, more quiet confidence. Boys named Taylor in the 1990s are now entering their thirties as doctors, architects, and executives, and the name wears cleanly into professional contexts. The gender-neutral credential is real, not aspirational: Taylor has enough SSA history on the boys' side to qualify as a genuine option, not just a reclaimed one.
Is the Cultural Association Too Strong Now?
The relevant counter is whether the Taylor Swift era has permanently shifted the name's gender perception. That association is enormous and ongoing — it's difficult to name a boy Taylor without that conversation arising at some point. Families who are entirely comfortable with that dynamic will find the name works fine; families who want more gender-unambiguous territory might find Tyler or Talon offers a cleaner path. The SSA rankings show Taylor still registered for boys in meaningful numbers as recently as 2024.