The invention describes a baud rate generator for use in a sampled data system. This generator makes possible the sampling of asynchronous digital input data when its baud rate is not known, and does so without the use of phase-locked loop circuitry. The invention uses a digital counter to count the clock intervals between successive transitions in the digital input data. This process is repeated over a period of time sufficient to assure that recognizable recurring data patterns will occur in the data stream. The smallest interval recorded by the counter is captured and is directly related to the required sampling rate.