Riley
Riley is a transferred use of an English surname derived from Old English ryge 'rye' + lēah 'wood, clearing'.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Riley
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Riley is a transferred use of an English surname derived from Old English ryge 'rye' + lēah 'wood, clearing'.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Riley
As a girl name
The earliest SSA record of Riley as a girl name dates back to 1923, when 5 babies received it. 2016 was its biggest year on record, with 7,159 newborns named Riley — #22 in the national rankings. About 38% of every Riley on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Riley ranks #46 for girls with 4,419 births, falling sharply (-19%). All told, over 146K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1920s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
Riley first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1880, with 41 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2006: 4,396 births, good for #101 nationwide. About 37% of every Riley on record arrived during the 2000s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Riley ranks #216 for boys with 1,667 births, gradually rising (+14%). All told, over 107K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Riley
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Riley. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Riley
Phonetically similar names — useful when Riley is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Riley
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About the name Riley
Riley is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1923 and has accumulated 146K births in the dataset. Riley's peak popularity came in 2016 when it ranked #22. Use the chart and map above to compare Riley's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2016 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "R" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.