Riley

What Riley means

Means “rye + clearing, meadow”

From Ryley in Lancashire, from Old English ryge (“rye”) + leah (“clearing, meadow”).

Source: Wiktionary, “Riley” (revision 94542981), CC BY-SA 4.0. Quoted from the etymology; we don’t write our own.

How popular is Riley?

US: Falling: down from #35 in 2015. England & Wales: Rising: up from #539 in 2015.

Biggest US share so far: 2016, when 7,159 girls got the name (#22 that year). First in the US records in 1923.

How common

• About 1 in 362 baby girls in the US in 2025
• About 1 in 938 baby girls in England and Wales in 2025
• About 1 in 484 baby girls in Scotland in 2025

“1 in N” divides by all listed births for that sex. The US list leaves out names given to fewer than 5 babies, and the UK lists leave out names given to 2 or fewer, so the real figure is a little rarer than shown.

Where in the US

Most popular in RI (8.97 per 1,000 girls), NH (7.64 per 1,000 girls), DC (7.43 per 1,000 girls) in 2025.

SSA state data, 2025. Share of all listed girls born in each state.

US vs UK

Riley is #48 in the US and #186 in England & Wales (2025).

Same sex as this page (girls). SSA (US), ONS (England and Wales), NRS (Scotland).

Boy or girl?

In 2025, 72.7% of US babies named Riley were girls.

Counts below the publishing threshold (US 5, UK 3) are not included.

How to say it

IPA from Wiktionary.

Other spellings parents chose in 2025

• Rylee2,118 US · 35 E&W
• Reilly60 US · 3 E&W
• Ryley39 US · 4 E&W
• Rylei31 US
• Rilee20 US
• Railey17 US
• Railee15 US
• Rilah9 US

Names that sound the same and differ by a letter or two, with baby counts for the same sex. US and E&W counts.

Spelling variants on Wiktionary

• Rileigh
• Rylee
• Ryleigh
• Rylie
• Ryley

Listed as alternative forms on Wiktionary.

If you like Riley

Girls

• Reagan#248“descendant of Riagán”^*
• Raegan#505Editor’s note First shows up in US records in 1963, with 9 babies
• Reese#192“ardor”^*
• Emerson#122Editor’s note Used for both: 62% of US babies named Emerson in 2025 were girls
• Macie#438Editor’s note Down from #415 in 2015 to #438 in 2025 in the US
• Karsyn#718Editor’s note Used for both: 70% of US babies named Karsyn in 2025 were girls

For a brother

• Jackson#36Editor’s note Down from #17 in 2015 to #36 in 2025 in the US. About 1 in 260 US boys in the 2025 records
• Carter#45“son of Arthur”^*
• Finnegan#526“descendant of Fionnagán”^*
• Carson#124“rock”^*
• Cooper#27Editor’s note Climbing fast in the US: #77 in 2015, #27 in 2025
• Parker#102From a surname for “a gamekeeper”^*

Picked from the US top 1,000 in 2025: names Wiktionary also files under From a surname, whose US popularity since 1990 rose and fell most like Riley’s. Rank is US 2025.