Riley

Primarily a boy's name · 98% boys

Also spelled: Riley- (6)

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 1996 and has been recorded in 29 different years as a boy's name. Its single biggest year was 2012 with 4,825 babies (rank #8 that year). In 2024 it was given to 685 boys (rank #80). 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.

38,880

Total babies (all years)

Years in the data

4,825

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 2024

Other boys' names starting with R

Year-by-Year Detail

Rank is among all boys' names registered that year.

Year	Babies	Rank
1996	32	#548
1997	42	#470
1998	70	#341
1999	92	#300
2000	168	#194
2001	265	#147
2002	378	#122
2003	494	#105
2004	662	#88
2005	917	#74
2006	1,187	#64
2007	1,400	#57
2008	2,203	#33
2009	2,406	#29
2010	2,690	#25
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