Poll: Saylor/Sailor

I agree with @emsky. I can’t decide what is visually more appealing, but I would agree that [name_u]Saylor[/name_u] looks more name-y. If [name_u]Taylor[/name_u] is more widely accepted as a given name than [name_u]Tailor[/name_u], I don’t see why [name_u]Saylor[/name_u] couldn’t become the norm.

I’ve never encountered the surname [name_u]Saylor[/name_u] before - until now I fully thought it was just the overlap in the [name_u]Taylor[/name_u]-[name_u]Sailor[/name_u] [name_m]Venn[/name_m] diagram. I grew up in [name_f]Nova[/name_f] [name_f]Scotia[/name_f], and despite or because of our rich fishing and sailing history, the name [name_u]Sailor[/name_u] has not caught on here in any significant way that I can tell. My instinct would have been to use [name_u]Sailor[/name_u] because I think [name_u]Saylor[/name_u] would look like [name_u]Sailor[/name_u]-with-a-y to people here, but for all I know, where you live, [name_u]Saylor[/name_u] makes more sense to people. I’ve noticed that both names have been used by some celebrities, which I presume will lead to their being used increasingly by non-celebrities, and honestly I don’t mind it. I love sailing, and the name [name_u]Sailor[/name_u] makes me think of an adventurous personality plus the breeze you get on your face when your boat is moving along well. I do worry about any name that’s also a word in the person’s own language in that the person might not match up with the name (what if a person named [name_u]Sailor[/name_u] was prone to seasickness?), so that would make me consider the [name_u]Saylor[/name_u] spelling.

I am definitely in the [name_u]Sailor[/name_u] group here - I’ve never seen [name_u]Saylor[/name_u] as a surname, so to me, it looks like ‘sailor’ was misspelled. I’m not a fan of occupational names, but I really don’t matter.

When I hear it - especially with a middle name, like [name_u]Sailor[/name_u] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] or [name_u]Sailor[/name_u] [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] - all I can think of is [name_u]Sailor[/name_u] [name_f]Moon[/name_f]. That could be a positive for some, negative for others.

Absolutely love this name, it will be the name of my daughter as well, only conundrum I’m having is which spelling to use. Have u picked out any middle names if you are using one? Curious what your list looks like compared to mine. Would love to hear your input as another woman in love with the name.

I much prefer [name_u]Saylor[/name_u] because it looks and feels like a name. [name_u]Sailor[/name_u] just looks like the word, and very masculine. [name_u]Saylor[/name_u] looks feminine and pretty.

[name_u]Saylor[/name_u] just causes spelling issues, and doesn’t look good as a kid grows up. It’s a nice name, but spell it properly.

I don’t prefer one spelling over another, which is rare for me.
I agree that it is a trendy choice but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad choice.

Like other posters, I also had a strong negative reaction to this name when I first saw it. I think it’s different from a name like [name_u]Harper[/name_u] (which is also not my style), which is a common surname, while I’ve never met anyone with the surname [name_u]Sailor[/name_u]/[name_u]Saylor[/name_u], so it reads more as a word-name than a surname-name, and word-names can seem silly at first if you’re not used to thinking of them as names. It might be similar to [name_u]Piper[/name_u], in that I suspect the real source of that name’s popularity is its similarity to [name_f]Pippa[/name_f], an established name. I do think [name_u]Saylor[/name_u]/[name_u]Sailor[/name_u]'s popularity comes from the fact that it sounds like an updated [name_u]Taylor[/name_u], and is likely to have a similarly short longevity and sound dated quickly. I’m not even saying this to dissuade you if you love it, but just digging into my own negative reaction a bit, which you seemed open to hearing!

I actually prefer [name_u]Saylor[/name_u] to [name_u]Sailor[/name_u]. It takes away from the silliness of the word-name thing a bit, and positions itself more clearly as an alternative to [name_u]Taylor[/name_u]. And a lot of people are saying that [name_u]Saylor[/name_u] is a misspelled [name_u]Sailor[/name_u], but actually as a name, Behind the Name says Saylor is the original/historical spelling and Sailor is the variant! It doesn’t even mean sailor, but rather dancer or acrobat. So I think it wins on all counts!

I’m surprised by all of the negative comments and feedback! I’ve met/heard of Sailors AND Saylors. I prefer the “[name_u]Saylor[/name_u]” spelling and think it’s a cute, sweet name. You could go with [name_u]Sawyer[/name_u] if you want something similar (although that can be a surname too), but I know plenty of Johnsons, Jensens, and Morgans whose names could be last names too and they’re doing just fine! (Definitely not made up, either.)

When a friend of mine was expecting her son about a year or so ago, one of the names on their short list for a girl was [name_u]Saylor[/name_u]. I assumed that the spelling would be “[name_u]Sailor[/name_u]” but when she explained that it was “Like [name_u]Taylor[/name_u] with an S,” so like someone said above, that would probably be a go-to explanation of the spelling for your child at some point in the future. However, I don’t think that should change your opinion about the name at all. I think that [name_u]Saylor[/name_u] looks more “name-y” and while I would have assumed it was created before knowing that it is also a surname, it’s not so out there that it would make me think poorly of it as a name.

[name_m]Long[/name_m] story short, using an alternative spelling to what people are going to think when it is said aloud could cause a very minor inconvenience to your child in the future, but it is a good name and sounds beautiful with [name_f]Brynn[/name_f] and [name_f]Lucy[/name_f]!

When a friend of mine was expecting her son about a year or so ago, one of the names on their short list for a girl was [name_u]Saylor[/name_u]. I assumed that the spelling would be “[name_u]Sailor[/name_u]” but when she explained that it was “Like [name_u]Taylor[/name_u] with an S,” so like someone said above, that would probably be a go-to explanation of the spelling for your child at some point in the future. However, I don’t think that should change your opinion about the name at all. I think that [name_u]Saylor[/name_u] looks more “name-y” and while I would have assumed it was created before knowing that it is also a surname, it’s not so out there that it would make me think poorly of it as a name.

[name_m]Long[/name_m] story short, using an alternative spelling to what people are going to think when it is said aloud could cause a very minor inconvenience to your child in the future, but it is a good name and sounds beautiful with [name_f]Brynn[/name_f] and [name_f]Lucy[/name_f]!