Riley

#48 for girls in 2025, 4,441 births · #207 for boys in 2025, 1,666 births
Given to girls 57.5% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
2016 · 7,159 births
Debut · girls
5 births
In top 100 · girls
24 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
141,960
since 1923

Riley over time

girlsboys

Rank within each sex, plotted together. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201979peak #22, 2016peak #99, 2002girlsboys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#484,441#2071,666
2024#424,657#2291,573
2023#434,643#2231,632
2022#394,914#2251,600
2021#375,225#2451,452
2020#335,339#2571,368
2019#305,712#2631,374
2018#286,010#2501,470
2017#256,368#2521,471
2016#227,159#2241,728
2015#355,739#1942,094
2014#474,800#1742,448
2013#454,941#1572,559
2012#474,833#1332,890
2011#475,045#1113,462
2010#405,543#1053,649
2009#385,637#1073,791
2008#395,774#1064,132
2007#525,212#1093,973
2006#565,056#1014,396
2005#545,127#1064,110
2004#584,982#1064,110
2003#724,243#1044,077
2002#773,906#993,959
2001#1063,044#1053,653
2000#1312,552#1093,421
1999#1382,312#1272,970
1998#1661,877#1283,013
1997#1841,669#1352,833
1996#2461,150#1462,393
1995#287969#1701,919
1994#349756#1941,588
1993#453553#2181,379
1992#555424#2661,067
1991#726286#297865
1990#822238#311814
1989#1,014169#342675
1988#1,210124#378529
1987#1,47088#398476
1986#1,32799#431403
1985#1,76064#473334
1984#3,61322#547252
1983#2,51636#562225
1982#2,64535#611198
1981#3,34025#635180
1980#4,14818#678164
1979#4,42016#671162
1978#4,93113#651166
1977#5,88810#793116
1976#7,2967#809106
1975#5,16111#808106
1974#6,2588#86785
1973#6,6667#83990
1972#87385
1971#82296
1970#90578
1969#86179
1968#7,0165#76594
1967#83673
1966#75793
1965#5,8176#85973
1964#747106
1963#76699
1962#725112
1961#762102
1960#745107
1959#721113
1958#699115
1957#5,3776#648141
1956#655134
1955#648130
1954#573166
1953#551164
1952#4,4837#546163
1951#5,4145#566146
1950#548152
1949#510170
1948#492179
1947#4,7646#495186
1946#501166
1945#507139
1944#467171
1943#4,6915#473171
1942#4,6225#492157
1941#4,4205#446174
1940#471150
1939#488139
1938#487141
1937#3,8006#481139
1936#450156
1935#456156
1934#450156
1933#448153
1932#501131
1931#491137
1930#4,5505#466162
1929#4,0536#461163
1928#471168
1927#478162
1926#453179
1925#467165
1924#478168
1923#4,9675#465174
1922#482163
1921#489160
1920#472166
1919#421194
1918#450174
1917#488139
1916#436166
1915#461142
1914#483101
1913#43297
1912#41887
1911#42047
1910#31163
1909#33049
1908#34942
1907#34140
1906#34237
1905#35534
1904#35432
1903#35729
1902#31737
1901#32530
1900#28453
1899#29435
1898#29839
1897#26344
1896#29639
1895#25749
1894#28538
1893#28736
1892#29239
1891#31828
1890#27539
1889#24444
1888#28937
1887#23946
1886#27239
1885#20958
1884#25147
1883#23745
1882#22254
1881#22247
1880#26241
First appearance
1923

The first year at least five girls were named Riley! It came in at #4,967, and was given to 5 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1923–1928, when fewer than 6 girls a year got the name.

See more about Riley
Momentum · girls
Falling
  • 6 spots since 2024 (#42#48)
  • 15 spots since 2020 (#33#48)
  • 13 spots since 2015 (#35#48)
  • Biggest jump: 192 spots in 1990 (#1,014#822)
  • Biggest drop: 7 spots in 2011 (#40#47)
Rise & fade · girls
93 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1923
  • Peaked 2016 at #22 (7,159 births)
  • Not yet halved from its peak
Top of the charts · girls
Top 100 for 24 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 24 yrs · run 2002–2025
  • Top 1,000: 36 yrs · run 1990–2025
Share of babies · girls
1 in 248
  • Highest: 1 in 248 girls born in 2016 were named Riley (0.40%)
  • Latest: 1 in 362 girls born in 2025 (0.28%)
Era · girls
The 2010s
  • 39.6% of all girls named Riley (56,150) were born in this decade
Girls or boys?
Flipped in 2003
  • Mostly boys until 2002, mostly girls since
all girlsall boys
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1920s11#4,053 (1929)#4,510
1930s11#3,800 (1937)#4,175
1940s21#4,420 (1941)#4,624
1950s18#4,483 (1952)#5,091
1960s11#5,817 (1965)#6,417
1970s72#4,420 (1979)#5,803
1980s680#1,014 (1989)#2,304
1990s10,234#138 (1999)#393
2000s45,533#38 (2009)#68
2010s56,150#22 (2016)#37
2020s29,219#33 (2020)#40

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Riley in 1979

girls
#4,420
16 births · 1 in 100,329 girls
boys
#671
162 births · 1 in 10,627 boys

Top girls' names in 1979

  1. #1Jennifer56,712
  2. #2Melissa34,050
  3. #3Amanda31,924
  4. #4Jessica27,780
  5. #5Amy21,609
  6. #6Sarah21,015
  7. #7Heather20,834
  8. #8Angela20,256
  9. #9Nicole19,510
  10. #10Michelle19,266
  11. #4,420Riley16

Top boys' names in 1979

  1. #1Michael67,713
  2. #2Christopher50,659
  3. #3Jason50,369
  4. #4David42,053
  5. #5James39,351
  6. #6Matthew35,621
  7. #7John35,410
  8. #8Robert34,015
  9. #9Joshua31,120
  10. #10Brian28,659
  11. #671Riley162
More about 1979

girls

1,605,268 girls got a published name in 1979; 1 in 100,329 of them was named Riley, which outranked 63.1% of the 11,972 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Riley
  1. #4,231Vincenza17
  2. #4,231Wilda17
  3. #4,231Yolando17
  4. #4,420Riley16
  5. #4,420Aarin16
  6. #4,420Adrean16
  7. #4,420Adrienna16
  8. #4,626Akesha15
  9. #4,626Akua15
  10. #4,626Alexi15

Tied with 205 names at #4,420; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1978
Risers
  1. 1,593Breanne#2,125#532
  2. 1,527Loni#2,516#989
  3. 1,287Renata#2,012#725
  4. 985Ashanti#1,862#877
  5. 896Nicolette#1,581#685
Fallers
  1. 392Christel#762#1,154
  2. 312Kenisha#557#869
  3. 297Ariane#887#1,184
  4. 285Imelda#947#1,232
  5. 252Farrah#539#791

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,721,536 boys got a published name in 1979; 1 in 10,627 of them was named Riley, which outranked 90.5% of the 7,071 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.1% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Riley
  1. #667Korey164
  2. #667Mauricio164
  3. #667Torrey164
  4. #671Riley162
  5. #671Vance162
  6. #673Josef161
  7. #673Van161
  8. #675Brain160

Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1978
Risers
  1. 1,228Tyrel#2,134#906
  2. 471Jace#1,186#715
  3. 387Chaz#1,371#984
  4. 311Tyrell#1,051#740
  5. 308Frederic#1,203#895
Fallers
  1. 1,230Dequan#927#2,157
  2. 641Rahsaan#869#1,510
  3. 446Chip#989#1,435
  4. 308Rashaun#996#1,304
  5. 307Kenya#749#1,056

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1979