# Riley (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/riley/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Irish |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 133,872 |
| US rank (2010) | 217 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 2,306 people |
| Change since 2000 | +4.6% (127,960 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɹaɪ.li/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Rileigh, Rylee, Ryleigh, Rylie, Ryley |

## 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).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Riley in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 73% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 21% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.5% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.9% |
| Two or more races | 2.1% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Riley in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Barbados.

## People named Riley

- Talulah Riley, British actress
- Pat Riley, American basketball player, coach and executive
- Amber Riley, American actress and singer
- Terry Riley, American composer and musician (born 1935)
- Charlotte Riley, British actress
- Bob Riley, American politician
- Alex Riley, American professional wrestler
- Ruth Riley, American basketball player (born 1979)
- James Whitcomb Riley, American poet from Indianapolis (1849–1916)
- Samantha Riley, Australian swimmer
- Richard Riley, American politician
- Jeannie C. Riley, American singer

and 29 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Reilly, Rowley, Raley, Railey, Riel, Reiley, Reilley, Reily, Ruley, Rawley, Rowell, Royal.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.