Riley
Featured in baby name books
Riley is often explained as Irish for “brave,” “courageous,” or “valiant,” linked to the surname Reilly. Riley is also an English place name meaning “rye field” or “rye clearing.” Riley has a breezy, lucky feel, as in “the life of Riley”; girls took it up in 1990 and it is now in their top fifty.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Girls, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, The Best Baby Names for Boys
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Usage of Riley in different languages / cultures
The list below was created by gathering names from various sources for different languages, and then matching Riley against each list of names.
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Albanian
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Arabic
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Armenian
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Bengali
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Bulgarian
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Catalan
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Chinese
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Cornish
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Croatian
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Czech
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Danish
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Dothraki
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Dutch
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English
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Estonian
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Filipino
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Finnish
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French
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Georgian
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German
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Greek
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Hawaiian
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Hebrew
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Hindi
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Hungarian
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Icelandic
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Indonesian
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Irish
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Italian
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Japanese
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Khmer
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Klingon
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Korean
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Latin
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Latvian
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Lithuanian
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Macedonian
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Norwegian
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Persian
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Polish
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Portuguese
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Romanian
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Russian
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Scottish
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Serbian
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Slovak
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Slovenian
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Spanish
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Swahili
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Swedish
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Telugu
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Thai
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Turkish
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Ukrainian
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Vietnamese
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Welsh
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Yiddish
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Yoruba
Note: In some cases it is possible for the check mark to be missing even if Riley is used in a particular country, as almost no source name list has 100% coverage.
Riley in official name statistics
United States
In 2025, 4,441 girls were named Riley, making it the #48 girls' name in the US. Since 1923, 141,960 girls have been named Riley, with the most (7,159) in 2016. It is most common, relative to births, in Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Washington, D.C..
In 2025, 1,666 boys were named Riley, making it the #207 boys' name in the US. Since 1880, 105,025 boys have been named Riley, with the most (4,396) in 2006. It is most common, relative to births, in Vermont, Maine and Mississippi.
Source: Social Security Administration baby name data, 1880–2025. Names given to fewer than 5 babies in a year are not listed.
Other countries
Counts are babies born that year, or living people for "all ages" rows, as published by each country's statistics office or population register.
Storms named Riley
Tropical storms, hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones that have been named Riley, newest first.
| Storm | Year | Ocean | Peak wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cyclone Riley (Category 1) | 2019 | South Indian Ocean | 139 km/h |
Source: IBTrACS, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Peak wind is the highest sustained wind recorded for the storm.
Towns named Riley
There are 35 towns and villages with Riley in their name, in 4 countries.
🇺🇸 United States 28🇨🇦 Canada 4🇯🇲 Jamaica 2🇬🇧 United Kingdom 1
| Name | Where | Population | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riley Park | British Columbia, 🇨🇦 Canada | 22,555 | Map |
| Riley | Kansas, 🇺🇸 United States | 994 | Map |
| Riley | Indiana, 🇺🇸 United States | 218 | Map |
| Riley | Hanover, 🇯🇲 Jamaica | – | Map |
| Riley | Alabama, 🇺🇸 United States | – | Map |
| Riley | Arkansas, 🇺🇸 United States | – | Map |
| Riley | Indiana, 🇺🇸 United States | – | Map |
| Riley | Kentucky, 🇺🇸 United States | – | Map |
| Riley | North Carolina, 🇺🇸 United States | – | Map |
| Riley | South Carolina, 🇺🇸 United States | – | Map |
Source: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Maps: OpenStreetMap.
Lakes named Riley
There are 49 lakes and reservoirs with Riley in their name, in 2 countries.
🇺🇸 United States 36🇨🇦 Canada 13
| Name | Where | |
|---|---|---|
| Lac Riley | Quebec, 🇨🇦 Canada | Map |
| Lac Riley | Quebec, 🇨🇦 Canada | Map |
| Lake Riley | West Virginia, 🇺🇸 United States | Map |
| Lake Riley | Minnesota, 🇺🇸 United States | Map |
| Lake Riley | New York, 🇺🇸 United States | Map |
| Riley Lake | New Brunswick, 🇨🇦 Canada | Map |
| Riley Lake | Ontario, 🇨🇦 Canada | Map |
| Riley Lake | Ontario, 🇨🇦 Canada | Map |
| Riley Lake | Manitoba, 🇨🇦 Canada | Map |
| Riley Lake | Saskatchewan, 🇨🇦 Canada | Map |
Source: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Maps: OpenStreetMap.
Riley songs
One song on Wikidata has Riley in its title:
Song data: Wikidata (CC0), ordered by how widely each song is covered on Wikipedia.
Celebrities named Riley
Based on celebrities listed on Wikipedia, filtered to only those with the first name Riley.
Riley Armstrong
Riley Armstrong
Riley Gill
Riley Reid
See more...
Fictional characters named Riley
Characters from films and TV series, from Wikidata, ordered by how widely they are covered on Wikipedia.
Character data: Wikidata (CC0). Images: Wikimedia Commons; click an image for its author and licence.
Riley as a pet name
FurryName has found 2,747 dogs named Riley in public pet registers, making it the #36 dog name there. Most of them are registered in Toronto (213), Framingham (29), Richmond (16). Riley as a dog name →
FurryName has found 31 cats named Riley in public pet registers, making it the #209 cat name there. Most of them are registered in Seattle (10), Richmond (1), Golden Plains Shire (1). Riley as a cat name →
Riley products
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Riley name mug
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Riley tumbler
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Riley cap
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Riley t-shirt
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Riley necklace
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Riley bracelet
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Riley keychain
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Riley ornament
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Riley baby blanket
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Riley name puzzle
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Riley wall sign
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Riley pillow
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