# Riley (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/riley/  
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 | Irish |
| Meaning | “rye”, “clearing”, “meadow”, “lea” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɹaɪ.li/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Rileigh, Rylee, Ryleigh, Rylie, Ryley |
| US babies named this | 246,985 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 105,025 / 141,960 (57% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 41,496, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

* From Ryley in Lancashire, from Old English ryge (“rye”) + leah (“clearing, meadow”). Equivalent to rye + -ley (“lea”). * A variant of Reilly, from Irish Ó Raghallaigh (see O'Reilly).

## 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 | 5,045 | 47 |
| 2012 | 4,833 | 47 |
| 2013 | 4,941 | 45 |
| 2014 | 4,800 | 47 |
| 2015 | 5,739 | 35 |
| 2016 | 7,159 | 22 |
| 2017 | 6,368 | 25 |
| 2018 | 6,010 | 28 |
| 2019 | 5,712 | 30 |
| 2020 | 5,339 | 33 |
| 2021 | 5,225 | 37 |
| 2022 | 4,914 | 39 |
| 2023 | 4,643 | 43 |
| 2024 | 4,657 | 42 |
| 2025 | 4,441 | 48 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 3,462 | 111 |
| 2012 | 2,890 | 133 |
| 2013 | 2,559 | 158 |
| 2014 | 2,448 | 174 |
| 2015 | 2,094 | 194 |
| 2016 | 1,728 | 224 |
| 2017 | 1,471 | 252 |
| 2018 | 1,470 | 250 |
| 2019 | 1,374 | 263 |
| 2020 | 1,368 | 257 |
| 2021 | 1,452 | 245 |
| 2022 | 1,600 | 225 |
| 2023 | 1,632 | 223 |
| 2024 | 1,573 | 229 |
| 2025 | 1,666 | 208 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 56 | 692 |
| 2012 | 33 | 1,058 |
| 2013 | 33 | 1,075 |
| 2014 | 51 | 763 |
| 2015 | 80 | 539 |
| 2016 | 165 | 301 |
| 2017 | 191 | 260 |
| 2018 | 178 | 270 |
| 2019 | 199 | 243 |
| 2020 | 202 | 229 |
| 2021 | 246 | 207 |
| 2022 | 219 | 219 |
| 2023 | 212 | 221 |
| 2024 | 280 | 175 |
| 2025 | 270 | 186 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 4,226 | 13 |
| 2012 | 4,825 | 8 |
| 2013 | 3,122 | 21 |
| 2014 | 2,177 | 35 |
| 2015 | 1,728 | 40 |
| 2016 | 1,556 | 40 |
| 2017 | 1,427 | 43 |
| 2018 | 1,168 | 58 |
| 2019 | 1,048 | 62 |
| 2020 | 842 | 67 |
| 2021 | 817 | 70 |
| 2022 | 720 | 79 |
| 2023 | 639 | 80 |
| 2024 | 685 | 80 |
| 2025 | 619 | 83 |

## People named Riley

- Riley Reid, American pornographic film actress (born 1991)
- Riley Keough, American actress
- Riley Steele, American pornographic actress
- Riley McGree, Australian association football player
- Riley Voelkel, American actress
- Riley Smith, American actor-model
- Dylan Riley Synder, American actor
- Riley Salmon, American volleyball player
- Riley Fitzsimmons, Australian canoeist
- Riley Nash, Canadian ice hockey player
- Riley Sheahan, Canadian ice hockey player
- Riley Barber, American ice hockey player

## 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.