What Does the Name Riley Mean?

Riley is a unisex name of Irish origin meaning “"Courageous" or "valiant"; also "rye clearing".”

Updated June 2026

Name	Riley
Gender	unisex
Origin	Irish
Meaning	"Courageous" or "valiant"; also "rye clearing"
Variants	Reilly, Rylee, Rylie, Reilley
Popularity	A top-50 US name for girls in recent years, while still used for boys; one of the most popular unisex names.

The meaning and origin of Riley

The name Riley means “"Courageous" or "valiant"; also "rye clearing"” and has Irish origins. An anglicization of the Irish surname Ó Raghallaigh, and also derived from an English place name meaning 'rye clearing' (Old English 'ryge' + 'lēah'). Now a popular given name for both sexes.

Variants and related names

Riley is related to several other names you may recognize: Reilly, Rylee, Rylie, Reilley. These share a common root or are spelling and language variants of the same name.

How popular is the name Riley?

A top-50 US name for girls in recent years, while still used for boys; one of the most popular unisex names.

Popularity matters when you need believable test data: a name that fits the era or region you are modeling makes a generated profile look real. You can generate a complete fictional profile using the name Riley below.

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