How Many People Are Named Riley?
An estimated 231,382 people in the United States have the first name Riley. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #225 overall. It is used for both genders, with 57.1% female. The average bearer is 18 years old, and Riley peaked in popularity in 2008 with 9,904 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Riley as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Riley paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Riley is a genuinely unisex name, given to both boys and girls in roughly equal numbers.
- Riley is a modern name. With an average bearer age of just 18, it has gained most of its popularity in recent years.
Estimated Living Americans
231,382
About 1 in 1,481 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Female
57.1% confidence
Average Age
18
years old
Peak Year
2008
9,904 births
Total Registered
240,821
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Riley
Riley is a genuinely unisex name, used for both males (42.9%) and females (57.1%). Out of 240,821 total births registered, 103,344 were male and 137,477 were female.
Riley as a male name
Ranked #229 in 2024
1,567 male births in 2024
Peak: 2006 (4,396 births)
Riley as a female name
Ranked #42 in 2024
4,644 female births in 2024
Peak: 2016 (7,159 births)
Riley: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Riley span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2000s, when 85,152 babies were registered. While Riley is less common than at its peak in the 2000s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Riley by Decade
How has Riley tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 458 | 458 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 386 | 386 | 0 | |
| 1900s | 383 | 383 | 0 | |
| 1910s | 1,210 | 1,210 | 0 | |
| 1920s | 1,679 | 1,668 | 11 | |
| 1930s | 1,481 | 1,470 | 11 | |
| 1940s | 1,684 | 1,663 | 21 | |
| 1950s | 1,442 | 1,424 | 18 | |
| 1960s | 949 | 938 | 11 | |
| 1970s | 1,164 | 1,092 | 72 | |
| 1980s | 4,121 | 3,437 | 684 | |
| 1990s | 29,074 | 18,840 | 10,234 | |
| 2000s | 85,152 | 39,621 | 45,531 | |
| 2010s | 79,281 | 23,141 | 56,140 | |
| 2020s | 32,357 | 7,613 | 24,744 | |
Riley by State
Birth registrations for Riley span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Texas, Florida. The lowest are in District of Columbia, Wyoming, Vermont. On average, about 4,603 Rileys were registered per state.
Riley + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Riley as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Riley
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
Riley: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Riley?
We estimate approximately 231,382 people named Riley are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 1,481 Americans share this first name.
Is Riley a common name?
Riley is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.8% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 240,821 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Riley most popular?
Riley reached peak popularity in 2008, when 9,904 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Riley is approximately 18 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Riley a female name?
Riley is predominantly female. 57.1% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Riley Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Riley Smith, Riley Johnson, Riley Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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