Rylea
Variant of the Scottish name Riley, meaning "rye meadow" or "from the rye field."
Name Census estimates that about 1,075 living Americans carry the first name Rylea. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rylea today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rylea births was 2008 (73 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rylea. 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
1.1K
~ 1 in 318,841 Americans
Peak year
2008
73 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#17,165
Tracked since 1991
Popularity
Rylea: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rylea 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 500 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
Rylea 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 Rylea during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ryleas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. Texas, Missouri, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Rylea, while Kentucky, Kansas, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 20 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rylea
The name Rylea is a relatively modern invention, likely derived from a combination of the more traditional names Riley and Leah. Its origins can be traced back to the English and Hebrew languages.
Riley is an English surname that originated as a variant of the Old English given name Ralliah, which means "courageous" or "brave." It was initially used as a masculine name but has gained popularity as a unisex name in recent decades.
Leah, on the other hand, is a Hebrew name meaning "weary" or "tired." It has biblical roots and is mentioned in the Book of Genesis as one of the wives of Jacob and the mother of six of the twelve tribes of Israel.
While the name Rylea itself does not have a long historical lineage, its components have been around for centuries. The earliest recorded use of the name Rylea seems to date back to the late 20th century, likely as a creative combination of the two established names.
Throughout history, there have been a few notable individuals who have borne names similar to Rylea's components. For instance, Riley Darnell (born 1952) is an American former professional baseball player, and Leah Remini (born 1970) is an American actress best known for her role in the sitcom "The King of Queens."
Additionally, Rylea may have been inspired by the name Ryleigh, which has gained popularity in recent years. Ryleigh is a variant spelling of the name Riley and has been used as a feminine name since the late 20th century.
While the name Rylea does not have a rich historical background, its components have been part of various cultures and traditions for centuries, lending it a unique and creative flair that has appealed to modern parents seeking distinctive names for their children.
People
Rylea + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rylea 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
Rylea: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rylea?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,075 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rylea 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 318,841 US residents.
Is Rylea a common name?
We classify Rylea as "Rare". It ranks above 90.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,090 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rylea most popular?
The single biggest year for Rylea was 2008, when 73 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rylea is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rylea a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rylea 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.