What Does the Name Riley Mean? (2026)

Riley is a gender-neutral name with two meanings. One is derived from the original Gaelic word raghalach, which means “valiant.” This eventually became the surname O’Reilly.

The other meaning of the name Riley is derived from the Old English words rye and leah, meaning wood, clearing, or meadow. The surname O’Reilly was once also used to indicate someone who lives near a rye field or meadow.

The surname eventually became a common Irish first name for boys, and its spelling was altered to Riley as it was adopted around the world.

The name Riley has morphed into more of a unisex name option in the United States, sometimes with variations in spelling for its feminine forms.

How Popular Is the Name Riley?

The Social Security Administration does not have records of Riley as a boy's name, but Riley as a girl's name debuted on the top 1,000 list of names for baby girls in 1990 at 827.

The name Riley jumped 700 spots in a decade, then broke the top 100 in 2002. Riley as a girl's name reached its peak at 22 in 2016. In 2024 it ranked 42nd.

Riley followed the trend of surnames becoming popular as given names. It also started being used as a girl's name around the same time that several well-known female characters named Riley appeared in popular culture.

This includes Riley Andersen, the main female character in the Disney/Pixar animated film Inside Out. The movie came out in 2015 and went on to win a Golden Globe award.

Name Variations of Riley

The following are spelling variations of the name Riley:

• Reilley
• Reilly
• Ryeleigh
• Rylee
• Ryleigh
• Ryley
• Rylie

Similar Names

Similar sounding names to Riley:

• Hayley
• Kyle
• Kylie
• Lily
• Miley
• Ryan
• Ryanne
• Ryland
• Wylie
  

Other Irish baby names:

• Aiden
• Ava
• Brenna
• Briana
• Callie
• Dylan
• Liam
• Moira
• Molly
• Niall
• Nora
• Sean
• Teagan
  

Other gender-neutral baby names:

• Adrian
• Corey
• Finley
• Logan
• Morgan
• Reagan
• Shannon
• Tyler

Suggest Sibling Names for Riley

Looking for a sibling name for Riley? Here are some popular options:

• Kyle
• Blair
• Kendall
• Owen
• Parker
• Easton
• Sloan

Famous People Named Riley

Famous Rileys have included all genders. Here are some famous Rileys, both real and fictional.

Famous Rileys

• Riley B. King, also known as BB King, the American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter
• Riley Clemmons, American musician
• Riley Day, Australian sprinter
• Riley Emilia Voelkel, American-born Canadian actor
• Riley Griffiths, American football player and former actor
• Riley Hill, American actor who starred mostly in Westerns
• Riley Keough, American actor and granddaughter of actor Priscilla Presley and singer Elvis Presley
• Riley Smith, American television series actor

Fictional Rileys

• Riley Abel, a character in the video game The Last of Us: Left Behind
• Riley Andersen, a main character in the animated Disney/Pixar film Inside Out
• Riley Blue, a character in the Netflix series Sense8
• Riley Daring, a character in The Replacements, an American animated television series
• Riley Dawson, a character in the television series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
• Riley Matthews, a character in the Disney Channel spinoff series Girl Meets World
• Riley Finn, a character in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Riley Freeman, a character in the animated television series The Boondocks
• Riley Adams, a character in the TV show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
• Riley Biers, a vampire character in The Twilight Saga