Reiley
A variant spelling of the English name Riley or Reilly, meaning "valiant" or "brave".
Name Census estimates that about 928 living Americans carry the first name Reiley. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 65.6% of registrations being female. The average person named Reiley today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Reiley births was 2007 (58 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Reiley. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
928
~ 1 in 369,347 Americans
Peak year
2007
58 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2023 SSA rank
#13,715
Tracked since 1991
Gender
Gender distribution for Reiley
Reiley is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 942 total registrations, 324 (34.4%) were male and 618 (65.6%) were female.
Reiley as a male name
- Ranked #13,715 in 2023
- 5 male births in 2023
- Peak: 2006 (25 births)
Reiley as a female name
- Ranked #17,072 in 2023
- 5 female births in 2023
- Peak: 1998 (37 births)
Popularity
Reiley: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Reiley from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 486 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Reiley by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Reiley during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Reileys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, Pennsylvania, California recorded the most babies named Reiley, while California, Pennsylvania, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Reiley
The given name Reiley originates from the Irish language and culture, emerging during the medieval period. It is a variant spelling of the more common Gaelic name Reilly, derived from the Old Irish word "riaghail," meaning "rule" or "regulation."
This name likely gained prominence in Ireland during the 9th to 12th centuries, as it reflects the importance of legal codes and social structures within ancient Irish society. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to historical records and genealogical accounts of prominent Irish clans and families.
One of the earliest known references to the name Reiley appears in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled by monks in the 15th century. The annals mention several individuals with the name, often associated with notable events or conflicts during that era.
Throughout Irish history, the name Reiley has been borne by several notable figures. One such individual was Reiley O'Donnell, a 16th-century Irish chieftain and military leader who played a significant role in the Nine Years' War against English forces in Ireland (1594-1603).
Another prominent bearer of the name was Reiley O'Rourke, a 12th-century King of Breifne (an ancient Irish kingdom) who was renowned for his military prowess and defense of his territory against neighboring kingdoms.
In the realm of literature, Reiley O'Sullivan was an 18th-century Irish poet and scribe, known for his contributions to preserving traditional Irish poetry and bardic traditions.
Moving into the 19th century, Reiley Ridgeway was an Irish-American soldier who fought in the American Civil War (1861-1865) and received the Medal of Honor for his bravery at the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863.
Lastly, Reiley Armstrong was a 20th-century Irish playwright and novelist, acclaimed for his works exploring themes of identity, tradition, and the complexities of modern Irish life.
While the name Reiley has its origins in Irish culture, it has since gained international recognition and has been adopted by individuals worldwide, carrying with it the rich history and cultural significance of its Gaelic roots.
People
Reiley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Reiley as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Reiley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Reiley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 928 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Reiley going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 369,347 US residents.
Is Reiley a common name?
We classify Reiley as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 942 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Reiley most popular?
The single biggest year for Reiley was 2007, when 58 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Reiley is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Reiley a female name?
Yes, 65.6% of people registered as Reiley in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.