# Ridley (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/ridley/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys and girls |
| Origin | English |
| Meaning | “reeds”, “cleared land”, “wood”, “clearing”, “lea” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɹɪdli/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 2,892 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 1,528 / 1,364 (47% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 253, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Place names in England, Old English hrēad (“reeds”) or rydde (“cleared land”) + lēah (“wood, clearing”). Thus, equivalent to reed or rid + -ley (“lea”).

## What it means

Ridley is grouped under earth and forest.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 26 | 5,329 |
| 2012 | 28 | 5,082 |
| 2013 | 33 | 4,407 |
| 2014 | 72 | 2,512 |
| 2015 | 71 | 2,548 |
| 2016 | 84 | 2,284 |
| 2017 | 75 | 2,423 |
| 2018 | 124 | 1,684 |
| 2019 | 111 | 1,839 |
| 2020 | 101 | 1,903 |
| 2021 | 98 | 1,989 |
| 2022 | 104 | 1,928 |
| 2023 | 107 | 1,876 |
| 2024 | 103 | 1,938 |
| 2025 | 95 | 2,013 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 39 | 2,988 |
| 2012 | 51 | 2,477 |
| 2013 | 65 | 2,085 |
| 2014 | 68 | 2,078 |
| 2015 | 62 | 2,203 |
| 2016 | 79 | 1,886 |
| 2017 | 72 | 1,996 |
| 2018 | 89 | 1,742 |
| 2019 | 76 | 1,948 |
| 2020 | 79 | 1,890 |
| 2021 | 92 | 1,760 |
| 2022 | 77 | 1,994 |
| 2023 | 72 | 2,074 |
| 2024 | 64 | 2,255 |
| 2025 | 71 | 2,089 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 14 | 1,600 |
| 2012 | 20 | 1,270 |
| 2013 | 16 | 1,462 |
| 2014 | 8 | 2,459 |
| 2015 | 14 | 1,673 |
| 2016 | 15 | 1,627 |
| 2017 | 18 | 1,398 |
| 2018 | 7 | 2,693 |
| 2019 | 12 | 1,869 |
| 2020 | 6 | 2,960 |
| 2021 | 12 | 1,860 |
| 2022 | 5 | 3,449 |
| 2023 | 12 | 1,906 |
| 2024 | 6 | 3,254 |
| 2025 | 13 | 1,897 |

## People named Ridley

- Ridley Scott, English filmmaker (born 1937)
- Frances Ridley Havergal, British poet and hymn-writer (1836-1879)
- Ridley Pearson, American writer
- Robert A. Parker, American astronaut
- Osgood Perkins, American actor (1892-1937)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.