2000
#210
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127,960
First available Census row
Per 100,000 47.43
Common Last name
Riley
An English surname derived from a place name meaning "rye clearing" or "wood clearing."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 148,422 Americans carry the last name Riley. That puts it at #224 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 43.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,309 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Riley surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Riley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
148K
1 in 2,309
Census rank
#224
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
43.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
129K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 129,431 bearers of the surname Riley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 43.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 224th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Riley, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.6%. The next largest groups are Black (21.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Riley
The surname Riley is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic name O'Reilly or O'Raghailligh, meaning "descendant of Raghaillach." The name Raghaillach is believed to have derived from the word "raghalach," meaning "valorous" or "heroic." The Riley surname is thought to have first emerged in County Cavan, Ireland.
One of the earliest records of the Riley surname is found in the Annals of Ulster, a medieval chronicle that documents events in Ireland from the 5th to the 16th century. In this text, the name O'Reilly is mentioned in connection with various historical events and battles involving the powerful O'Reilly clan in County Cavan.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Riley surname spread throughout Ireland and eventually made its way to England and other parts of the British Isles. Several notable individuals with the Riley surname emerged during this time, including Sir Edmund Riley (1572-1637), an English judge and politician who served as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland.
In the 18th century, the Riley surname began to appear in colonial America as Irish immigrants settled in various regions of the New World. One prominent figure from this era was James Riley (1777-1840), an American sailor and author who wrote a memoir about his experiences as a captive in Africa.
As the Riley surname continued to spread throughout the English-speaking world, it became associated with several notable figures in various fields. For example, James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916) was a renowned American writer and poet known as the "Hoosier Poet." Another prominent individual was Charles Valentine Riley (1843-1895), an English-born American entomologist who served as the chief entomologist for the United States Department of Agriculture.
Throughout its history, the Riley surname has also been connected to various place names, such as Riley County in Kansas, which was named after Brevet Major-General Bennet Riley (1787-1853), a military officer who served in the Mexican-American War.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Riley
Among Census respondents with the surname Riley, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.6%. The next largest groups are Black (21.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Riley bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Riley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.6% · 90,135
- Black or African American21.2% · 27,431
- Two or more races4.2% · 5,416
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4,617
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1,054
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 778
Timeline
Historical Census data for Riley
Riley appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#217
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133,872
+5,912 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 45.38
Rank movement Down 7 places
2020
#224
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129,431
-4,441 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 43.30
Rank movement Down 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #210 | 127,960 | 47.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #217 | 133,872 | 45.38 | +5,912 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 7 places |
| 2020 | #224 | 129,431 | 43.30 | -4,441 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 7 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Riley surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #217 | #224 | -3.2% |
| Count | 133,872 | 129,431 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 45.38 | 43.30 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Riley bearers went from 133,872 to 129,431 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #217 to #224.
FAQ
Riley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Riley?
Name Census estimates that about 148,422 living Americans carry the surname Riley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,309 residents.
How common is Riley?
Riley ranks #224 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 43.30 per 100,000 residents, which is about 43 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 129,431 people with the surname Riley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (148,422), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 43.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 43.30 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 43 of them to have the surname Riley.
Has Riley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Riley went from 133,872 recorded bearers to 129,431. That is a decrease of 4,441 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #217 to #224.
What does the Census say about the background of Riley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Riley, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.6%. The next largest groups are Black (21.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Riley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.6% (90,135 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Riley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.6%), Black (21.2%), Two or More Races (4.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Riley (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Riley mean?
An English surname derived from a place name meaning "rye clearing" or "wood clearing." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Riley (43.30 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Riley?
You can see how many people are called Riley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.