Name of the Day: Riley
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!
After much thought, I’ve chosen the controversial – but very Irish - Riley for Name of the Day.
Like many Irish surnames, Riley is likable – upbeat, friendly and complete in just two syllables. Today, Riley represents several trends:
- The move towards gender-neutral names;
- A greater willingness to promote surnames to the first spot – even if they aren’t found on your family tree;
- A tendency to adopt creative respellings, sometimes in an attempt to make a name “more feminine.”
As of 2007, the name ranked as follows:
- For girls, Riley charted at #52, with variant spellings Rylee (#130), Ryleigh (#300); and Rylie (#341) also popular. Similar choices like Brylee (#652) and Briley (#874) might also owe something to the rise of Riley – but then again, there’s also Kylie and Miley.
- For boys, Riley ranked #109 in 2007. Variant spelling Rylee came in at #800. Reilly – an equally valid spelling of the surname – ranked #916. The possibly related Rylan (#256) and Ryland (#616) also charted.
The variant spellings are new, but Riley has always been a Top 1000 pick for boys in the US. And while conventional wisdom tells us that when parents begin to use a traditionally masculine moniker for their daughters, it falls out of favor for sons. Not so – at least not in Riley’s case.
Riley first appeared in the girls’ Top 1000 in 1990. At the time, Kelsey, Kelly and Lindsey were popular, so it is little wonder that some parents landed on Riley.
But here’s the surprise – Riley ranked #311 for boys in 1990 – and he gained in the rankings just as Riley rose for girls - the opposite of what happened in years past.
Riley traces back to a Gaelic given name - Raghailleach or Roghallach – which became the surname Ó Raghailligh. History dead-ends there, without revealing a source. Or Riley could be an Old English place name, probably meaning rye meadow.
But Riley does have a powerful contemporary meaning thanks to an American poet and the long-lived comedy The Life of Riley.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, James Whitcomb Riley penned happy domestic verse. Described as “heart high” and often written in the dialect of his native Indiana, his poems were filled with lines like the ripest peach is highest on the tree. In 1885, he wrote Little Orphant Annie, which became a comic strip, a Broadway musical and a cultural force. (Though his Annie was a household servant – Daddy Warbucks came later.)
As for the comedy, the program evolved from radio in the 1940s, to the big screen in 1949 and television in the 1950s. Instead of simple domesticity, Chester A. Riley was a dreamer and a bit of a blunderer – an assembly-line worker and the forerunner of characters like Ralph Kramden and Archie Bunker. ”Living the life of Riley” suggests a cozy domestic tranquility that Chester’s family didn’t quite achieve.
Filed under: Kiss Me I'm Irish, Last Names First, Names for Boys, Names for Girls, Names of the Day | 8 Comments
Tags: Rylee, Riley, Ryleigh, Rylie, Brylee, Briley, Reilly, Rylan, Ryland
Blogroll
- Baby Name Brainstorm
- Baby Name Lover
- Chanara\’s Blog
- FOR REAL BABY NAMES
- Legit Baby Names
- Legitimate Baby Names
- Lola\’s Onomastic Fits
- Moniker Madness!
- Much Ado About Naming
- Nameberry
- Names from Adam to Eve
- Naming across the pond
- Naming By Numbers
- Onomastics Shamastics
- Onomastitrix
- Paige\’s Page O\’ Names!
- The #7 Question
- Voornamelijk (Emma's site – in Dutch!)
- Xanthe Linnea: a name blog
- You Can’t Call It It
- Ysabeau\’s Naming Persuits
I had a (male) dog named Riley, he was the best. I also used to know an adorable little girl named Riley, who’d be about 8 now. I wonder what it is about this name that makes it actually likable on either gender. I prefer it for boys, but it is really cute for girls, too.
I have a friend whose daughter, about 14 months old, is called Riley. But for her, I would have thought it wore better on a boy (or as Nessa mentioned, a dog). It’s surprising to me that it has always ranked for boys, because I had never met a Riley before my friend’s little girl. I’m not one for gender-neutral names in general, but Riley is fine. It’s not a favorite, but I can definitely understand the appeal.
Somewhat related along the lines of the rising popularity for both girls and boys, is Jamie in the 70s kind of similar in that it was popular for both boys and girls? (I have known multiple Jamie/Jaimes of both genders born in the 70s). Perhaps it was more popular on the girl side than boys, but it seemed it was getting popular for boys as well as girls in the same time frame?
Happy St Patricks day!
I know a Reilly family, so the name is very boyish to me. I think everyone knows how I feel about unisex names by now (I rant often enough) I’ll second JNE. Reily (or Reilly or however else it gts spelled) is at this point, the 90’s equavalent of 70’s Jamie for me. I know of several girl or boy Rileys just as I grew up with several girl or boy Jamies. I can tolerate it in anyone else’s kid but it’ll never go on one of my own. Riley’s :meh:
This name is great for a dog! It goes quilte well with Bailey, Cooper, and Tucker, I think. None of these makle me think of little boys – I just think of roly poly puppies!
While Riley is not my usual taste, I can’t at all dislike it since I’ve known too many darling children with the name! It has got to be one of the most popular names in my area. My cousin has a son named Riley — he would probably be in the third grade right about now. And, as a first grade teacher, I’m just about guaranteed to have one every year. Last year it was a sweet blonde girly-girl Riley; this year I have a mischievous boy Riley; and I often hear a kindergarten teacher admonishing a somewhat noisy Riley as she walks her class through the halls. Not sure if that one’s a boy or girl, but I’m sure I’ll find out when September rolls around.
hahah its funny becuase for me Riley is related to my cousin horse name riley ironically they are from Ireland. Though its a unisex name because of my experience and people ive met Riley or Ryley is very masculine to me and i don’t really like it for a girl
I don’t care for Riley at all, but one of the little girls that went to the daycare center I used to work at spelled her name Riellie. Seriously. Her sisters are Sidnie and Maddison. I worked with their mother. Nice girls, but the names are horrible.
Briley, Bryleigh, Rylee, Ryleigh, etc… are even worse. I kind of like Ryland for a boy. I wouldn’t use it though because I refuse to give my kids trendy names.
It’s interesting how many comments basically say, “I don’t care for the name, but I know the cutest little kid with this name …” Guess that happens all the time.
Sidnie and Maddison seem silly-but-harmless, but Riellie hurts my eyes, Laney! And I want to see REE ell EE, not Riley. It reminds of the Phillies’ player with the daughter called Sawyur. I keep thinking it *must* be another name.