Riley

Primarily a boy's name · 96% boys

Meaning

Riley is a transferred use of an English surname derived from Old English ryge 'rye' + lēah 'wood, clearing'. It is also derived from the Irish surname O'Reilly, which originated from the Irish name Raghallach, of unknown meaning.

From Wikipedia

Riley first appears in the data in 1995 and has been recorded in 31 different years as a boy's name. Its single biggest year was 2016 with 2,228 babies (rank #12 that year). In 2025 it was given to 334 boys (rank #59). The name has been declining over the last five years.

Numerology of Riley

In Pythagorean numerology, every letter has a value from 1 to 9. Adding the letters of Riley yields these three numbers — a playful read on the name's character.

33Destiny numberThe master teacherSelfless guidance and uplift — a heightened 6.Sum of every letter. The overall character a name carries.
3Soul urgeThe creativeExpressive, sociable, lifted by playful energy.Sum of the vowels — what's said to drive the heart.
3PersonalityThe creativeExpressive, sociable, lifted by playful energy.Sum of the consonants — the outer impression.

18,265

Total babies (all years)

Years in the data

2,228

Peak in a single year

Popularity Over Time — Boys

Also a character in

In Pixar: Riley Andersen — Inside Out

Famous people named Riley

Riley Reidpornographic film producer · b. 1991
Riley Keoughfilm screenwriter · b. 1989
Riley Steelefilm actor · b. 1987
Riley McGreeassociation football player · b. 1998

More popular boys' names

Names ranked near Riley in 2025

Other boys' names starting with R

Year-by-Year Detail

Rank is among all boys' names registered that year.

Year	Babies	Rank
1995	45	#110
1996	185	#75
1997	210	#70
1998	292	#51
1999	295	#52
2000	463	#35
2001	517	#28
2002	559	#23
2003	569	#23
2004	645	#17
2005	666	#18
2006	398	#21
2007	575	#7
2008	952	#9
2009	832	#12
2010	622	#18
2011	575	#20
2012	495	#28
2013	449	#32
2014	416	#41
2015	1,815	#20
2016	2,228	#12
2017	530	#41
2018	469	#49
2019	653	#43
2020	427	#50
2021	345	#44
2022	305	#44
2023	262	#52
2024	333	#59
2025	334	#59