Riley

“Rye meadow or clearing” — Old English origin

Boy's name · #207 in the US (2025) · 2000s

Riley has appeared in US records since 1880 — best rank #99 (2002) · 105,025 babies named Riley all-time · 1 in 1,000 boys born in 2025.

Around the world: #53 in Australia (QLD) (2025) · #62 in Australia (VIC) (2025) · #66 in Australia (NSW) (2025) · #66 in New Zealand (2025) · #78 in N. Ireland (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 50 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Rileys

Riley McGree — Australian association football player
Riley Smith — American actor-model
Riley Salmon — volleyball player
Riley Fitzsimmons — Australian canoeist
Riley Sheahan — Canadian ice hockey player

In stories & tradition

Riley Finn — Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Riley Adams — CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Riley Costello — Hollyoaks

What Rileys become

Among 347 notable people named Riley:

Athletes appear 3.04× more often than among typical names — e.g. Riley McGree, Australian association football player.

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.