Rhilee
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a combination of "Riley" and "Lee".
Name Census estimates that about 155 living Americans carry the first name Rhilee. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rhilee today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rhilee births was 2015 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rhilee. 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
155
~ 1 in 2,211,318 Americans
Peak year
2015
16 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2021 SSA rank
#14,896
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Rhilee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rhilee from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 104 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rhilee 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 Rhilee during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rhilee
The given name Rhilee is a relatively modern invention, originating in the late 20th century. It is considered a variant or feminine form of the male name Riley, which has its roots in the Old English word "riþ-ieg," meaning "rye island." The name Riley itself was initially used as a surname, particularly common in England and Ireland.
While there are no direct historical references or ancient texts specifically mentioning the name Rhilee, its older counterpart, Riley, can be traced back to the Middle Ages. One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Riley dates back to the 13th century in Lancashire, England.
The earliest known person with the first name Rhilee was Rhilee Ray, born in 1982, an American country music singer-songwriter. However, it is essential to note that the name Rhilee did not gain widespread popularity until the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Riley, which may have influenced the creation and usage of the variant Rhilee:
1. James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916), an American writer and poet, often referred to as the "Hoosier Poet."
2. Riley Chambers (1923-2005), an American actress known for her roles in television series such as "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp" and "Gunsmoke."
3. Riley Curry (born 2012), the daughter of NBA player Stephen Curry, who gained attention for her appearances at her father's press conferences.
4. Riley Smith (born 1978), an American actor best known for his roles in "Frequency" and "Battlestar Galactica."
5. Riley Keough (born 1989), an American actress and model, and the daughter of singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley.
While the name Rhilee itself does not have a rich historical background, its connection to the older name Riley and its potential as a modern feminine variation have contributed to its growing popularity in recent decades.
People
Rhilee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rhilee 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
Rhilee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rhilee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 155 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rhilee 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 2,211,318 US residents.
Is Rhilee a common name?
We classify Rhilee as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 156 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rhilee most popular?
The single biggest year for Rhilee was 2015, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rhilee is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rhilee a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rhilee 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.