Rhylee
A modern feminine name derived from the Welsh word "rhyll," meaning "free."
Name Census estimates that about 2,652 living Americans carry the first name Rhylee. It is a predominantly female name (90.4% of registrations). The average person named Rhylee today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rhylee births was 2019 (247 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rhylee. 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.
Key insights
- • Rhylee is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 11 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
2.7K
~ 1 in 129,244 Americans
Peak year
2019
247 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,022
Tracked since 1993
Gender
Gender distribution for Rhylee
Rhylee leans heavily female at 90.4% of total registrations, but 257 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Rhylee as a male name
- Ranked #10,650 in 2024
- 7 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2016 (24 births)
Rhylee as a female name
- Ranked #2,022 in 2024
- 97 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2019 (232 births)
Popularity
Rhylee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rhylee from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 1,498 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Rhylee remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rhylee 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 Rhylee during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rhylees live
The SSA's state-level files cover 24 states and territories. Texas, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Rhylee, while Nevada, Virginia, Arizona recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 52 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rhylee
The name Rhylee is a relatively modern invention, believed to have originated in the late 20th century, likely as a variant of the more traditional name Riley. The exact origins of the name are somewhat unclear, but it is thought to be derived from the Old English word "rig," meaning "rye" or "rustic."
While the name Rhylee itself does not seem to have any direct historical references or appearances in ancient texts or religious scriptures, the name Riley has a longer history. Riley was a common surname in Ireland, derived from the Gaelic name Ó Raghailligh, meaning "descendant of Raghaillach."
The earliest recorded examples of the name Rhylee are relatively recent, with the first known instances appearing in birth records from the late 20th century. However, it is worth noting that due to its modern nature, there are no famous historical figures known to have borne this particular spelling of the name.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Rhylee was Rhylee Peffers, an American swimmer born in 2001. She competed in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, representing the United States in the women's 4x100-meter medley relay.
Another individual with the name Rhylee is Rhylee Swaim, an American actress born in 2006. She has appeared in various television shows and movies, including the 2018 film "The Kindergarten Teacher."
Rhylee Gerber, born in 2008, is an Australian actress and model. She has appeared in several Australian television commercials and has also modeled for various fashion brands.
Rhylee Graber, born in 2009, is an American child actress known for her roles in the television series "The Haunting of Hill House" (2018) and "The Haunting of Bly Manor" (2020).
Rhylee Paskewich, born in 2011, is a Canadian child actress who has appeared in various television shows and films, including the 2019 movie "The Kindergarten Teacher."
While the name Rhylee is a relatively recent addition to the lexicon of given names, it has gained popularity in recent decades, likely due to its unique and modern sound. However, its exact origins and historical significance remain relatively unknown, as it is a product of contemporary naming trends.
People
Rhylee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rhylee 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
Rhylee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rhylee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,652 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rhylee 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 129,244 US residents.
Is Rhylee a common name?
We classify Rhylee as "Rare". It ranks above 94.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,675 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rhylee most popular?
The single biggest year for Rhylee was 2019, when 247 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rhylee is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rhylee a female name?
Yes, 90.4% of people registered as Rhylee 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.