Unisex name · since 1923
Riley
Riley has 141,960 recorded births since 1923 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2016 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #284 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #48 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 141,960
- born since 1923
- 2010s
- peak decade
Yes -- Riley is the #48 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 141,960 recorded since 1923.
Social Security Administration records show Riley recorded 141,960 times among girls since 1923, holding rank #48 nationally today, ahead of 99.7% of girls, peaking in the 2010s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1923 to 2025.
- #284 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #48 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 141,960 born since 1923
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Riley ranks #284 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #48 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 141,960 born since 1923, peaking in the 2010s.
- #284 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #48 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 141,960
- born since 1923
- 2010s
- peak decade
Riley's 141,960 recorded births place it above 99.6% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Riley compares
141,960 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Riley's all-time total is 378x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Riley | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 141,960 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 7,159 | 21 | 19,840 |
Riley's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Riley splits its recorded history at 1993: 99% of all births land in the more recent half, 1% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1923 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2016 peak of 7,159 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Riley popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1923–2025
- Peak year (2016)
- 7,159
- Annual births at peak, across 103 years of records
Riley popularity over time - boys
105,025 total births recorded since 1880 (Riley as boys' name)
Riley by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (56,150 births, 40% of the file).
2010s was Riley's strongest decade.
56,150 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 40% of all-time use.
Riley births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1920s 11
1920s
11 births
- 1930s 11
1930s
11 births
- 1940s 21
1940s
21 births
- 1950s 18
1950s
18 births
- 1960s 11
1960s
11 births
- 1970s 72
1970s
72 births
- 1980s 680
1980s
680 births
- 1990s 10,234
1990s
10,234 births
- 2000s
2000s
45,533 births
- 2010s
2010s
56,150 births
- 2020s
2020s
29,219 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 56,150 births (40% of all-time use).
How Riley compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Riley's total volume
Riley by state
Where Riley concentrates geographically, total births since 1923
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 13,869 | 9.8% |
| #2 | Texas | | 10,490 | 7.4% |
| #3 | New York | | 7,683 | 5.4% |
| #4 | Florida | | 7,561 | 5.3% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 7,093 | 5.0% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 6,844 | 4.8% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 5,246 | 3.7% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 5,240 | 3.7% |
13,869 of 141,960 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Riley appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Riley? ▼
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When was Riley most popular? ▼
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What to do with Riley's data
- Riley's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (56,150 total births) through the 2020s (29,219) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Rileys (13,869 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Riley
Nearby Names Like Riley
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Riley
Compare Riley side by side: Riley vs Rileigh Riley vs Rilynn Riley vs Rilee
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Riley
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Riley: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2016)
Similar record span (~102 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1923–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Riley draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.