ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 👧As Girl Name 1923 First Year 2026 Last Year 2016 Peak Year #22 Peak Rank 146K Total Count 67 Years Active 👦As Boy Name 1880 First Year 2026 Last Year 2006 Peak Year #99 Peak Rank 107K Total Count 147 Years Active 🌍 ## 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 ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riley%5F%28given%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riley%5F%28given%5Fname%29) ### 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 Girls Boys ## Popularity by State 👧 Girls 👦 Boys ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🔗 ## 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. * [Ry](/ry) * [Rylee](/rylee) * [Ryleigh](/ryleigh) * [Ryley](/ryley) * [Rylie](/rylie) 🎶 ## 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. * [Reilly](/reilly) * [Ryley](/ryley) * Wryly * Really * [Rally](/rally) * [Rollie](/rollie) * [Rolly](/rolly) * [Raleigh](/raleigh) * Reali * [Rylee](/rylee) * Reli * Ruly Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Riley What does the name Riley mean? Riley is a transferred use of an English surname derived from Old English ryge 'rye' + lēah 'wood, clearing'. What is the origin of the name Riley? Riley has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English. How popular is Riley in 2026? In 2026, Riley ranks #46 among girls' names in the U.S., with 4,419 babies given the name that year. When was Riley most popular? Riley reached its peak popularity in 2016, ranking #22 that year with 7,159 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Riley most popular? Riley has historically been most popular in Hawaii, District of Columbia, Delaware. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Riley. Is Riley a unisex name? Yes — Riley is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 58% of Rileys assigned female and 42% assigned male historically. What names go well with Riley? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Riley include Gertrude, Nora, Ruby. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. What are nicknames or variants of Riley? Common variants and related forms of Riley include Ry, Rylee, Ryleigh, Ryley, Rylie. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms. ## Similar Names ### 👧 Similar Girl Names [👧GertrudePeak #22](/gertrude)[👧NoraPeak #22](/nora)[👧RubyPeak #22](/ruby)[👧NormaPeak #22](/norma) ### 👦 Similar Boy Names [👦ColbyPeak #99](/colby)[👦CamdenPeak #99](/camden)[👦PerryPeak #100](/perry)[👦PercyPeak #98](/percy) ## 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 → ](/year/2016) * [ Names of the 2010s → ](/decade/2010s) * [ Names starting with "R" → ](/letter/r) * [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Browse unisex names → ](/names/unisex) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). 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 ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). 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.