The town is mentioned by Ptolemy, writing in the reign of Antoninus Pius under the name Noemagus Biducassium (for *Noviomagus Badiocassium 'New market of the Badiocassi') and remained so until the time of the Roman Empire.
The area around Bayeux is called the Bessin, which was the bailiwick of the province Normandy until the French Revolution.