Ripley
From an English surname meaning "ripe meadow".
Name Census estimates that about 3,128 living Americans carry the first name Ripley. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 72.5% of registrations being female. The average person named Ripley today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ripley births was 2023 (321 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ripley. 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
- • Ripley started out as a boys' name but over the decades crossed over and is now given to girls far more often.
- • Ripley is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 10 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
3.1K
~ 1 in 109,576 Americans
Peak year
2023
321 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,250
Tracked since 1918
Gender
Gender distribution for Ripley
Ripley is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 3,187 total registrations, 878 (27.5%) were male and 2,309 (72.5%) were female.
Ripley as a male name
- Ranked #1,398 in 2024
- 134 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (134 births)
Ripley as a female name
- Ranked #1,250 in 2024
- 186 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (207 births)
Popularity
Ripley: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ripley from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 1,439 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ripley 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 Ripley during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ripleys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 32 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Ripley, while New Jersey, Mississippi, Alabama recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 43 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ripley
The given name Ripley has its origins in the Old English language and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English word "ripel," which means "strip of land" or "unplowed land." The name likely originated as a surname for someone who lived near a strip of unplowed land or a meadow.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Ripley can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The name appeared as a place name and a surname in various parts of England, such as Ripley in Yorkshire and Ripley in Derbyshire.
In the Middle Ages, the name Ripley gained prominence through the works of the English alchemist and philosopher George Ripley, who lived from around 1415 to 1490. He is best known for his alchemical treatise, "The Compound of Alchemy," which heavily influenced the development of alchemical thought in Europe.
Another notable bearer of the name was John Ripley, an English Carmelite friar and theologian who lived in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. He is remembered for his writings on logic and philosophy, particularly his work "Compendium of Logic."
In the 18th century, John Ripley (1697-1758) was an English Baptist minister and hymnist who wrote several notable hymns, including "From Greenland's Icy Mountains" and "Awake, My Soul, Stretch Every Nerve."
Towards the modern era, Ripley Hitchcock (1858-1948) was an American artist and illustrator known for his intricate etchings and engravings, particularly those depicting scenes from American history and literature.
In the 20th century, Ripley Armstrong (1890-1973) was a Canadian soldier and politician who served as a member of the Canadian House of Commons and played a significant role in the country's efforts during World War I.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the given name Ripley throughout history, demonstrating its enduring presence and varied applications across different fields and time periods.
People
Ripley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ripley 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
Ripley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ripley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,128 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ripley 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 109,576 US residents.
Is Ripley a common name?
We classify Ripley as "Rare". It ranks above 95.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,187 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ripley most popular?
The single biggest year for Ripley was 2023, when 321 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ripley is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ripley a female name?
Yes, 72.5% of people registered as Ripley 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.