NameCensus.

UK name, mostly boys

Riyan

A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "sweet basil" or "fragrant garden".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Also recorded as a girls' name in the UK, with 127 girls.

Riyan is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Riyan popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1025, with 29 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2022, with 42 births.

This profile covers 503 England and Wales registrations across 27 recorded years from 1998 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 69% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 500 living people in the UK are called Riyan. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Riyan ranked #1025 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 29 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2022, when 42 boys were registered as Riyan.
  • Riyan is also recorded for girls, but the boys side is the larger UK variant in these records.
  • About 500 living people in the UK are estimated to have Riyan as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
  • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 79.8% of Riyan registrations are for boys.

Latest rank (E&W)

#1025

2024

Births in 2024

29

Latest year

Peak year

2022

42 births

Estimated living

500

2026

Gender

Boy and girl registrations for Riyan

In England and Wales birth records, Riyan has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 79.8% of registrations are for boys and 20.2% are for girls.

These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.

80% boys
20% girls
Boys503 (79.8%)Girls127 (20.2%)

Riyan registered for boys

  • Ranked #1,025 in 2024
  • 29 boys registered in 2024
  • Peak: 2022 (42 births)

Riyan registered for girls

  • Ranked #5,765 in 2017
  • 3 girls registered in 2017
  • Peak: 2011 (22 births)

Meaning

What does Riyan mean?

The name Riyan is derived from the Arabic language and has its origins in the Middle East and North Africa regions. It is believed to have emerged sometime during the medieval period, around the 7th to 13th centuries.

The name Riyan is a variant spelling of the Arabic name Ryan, which itself is derived from the Arabic word "ra'a," meaning "to pasture" or "to graze." This connection to pasturing and grazing suggests that the name may have initially been associated with pastoral or nomadic lifestyles prevalent in the region.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Riyan can be found in the writings of the 9th-century Arab historian and scholar, Al-Tabari. He mentions a person named Riyan ibn al-Walid, who was a military commander during the Abbasid Caliphate.

In the 11th century, a famous poet and philosopher named Riyan al-Andalusi lived in the Iberian Peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal). He was renowned for his contributions to literature and philosophical thought during the golden age of Islamic civilization in the region.

Another notable figure with the name Riyan was Riyan al-Hadrami, a 12th-century Sufi scholar and mystic from Yemen. His writings and teachings on spiritual enlightenment and self-realization were highly influential in the Arabian Peninsula.

In the 13th century, Riyan ibn Abi al-Khayr was a prominent scholar and jurist from Damascus, Syria. He was known for his expertise in Islamic jurisprudence and his contributions to the development of Sharia law.

A more recent historical figure with the name Riyan was Riyan al-Sulayti, an 18th-century Arab poet and writer from Iraq. He was renowned for his eloquent poetry and his mastery of the Arabic language.

While the name Riyan has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic culture, it has since been adopted and used in various parts of the world, albeit with varying spellings and pronunciations.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Riyan over time

The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Riyan in England and Wales, from 1998 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Riyan, the clearest high point is 2022. The latest England and Wales figure is 29 births in 2024, compared with 42 at the peak.

Babies born per year

BoysGirls
011213242199820112024

Decades

Riyan by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Riyan was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #895 172 5
2010s #1187 242 10
2000s #2142 82 10
1990s #2663 7 2

Related

Names similar to Riyan

FAQ

Riyan: questions and answers

How popular is the name Riyan in the UK right now?

In 2024, Riyan was ranked #1025 for boys in England and Wales, with 29 births registered.

When was Riyan most popular?

The peak year on record was 2022, with 42 babies registered as Riyan in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Riyan?

A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "sweet basil" or "fragrant garden".

How many people are called Riyan in the UK?

A total of 503 babies have been registered as Riyan across the 27 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.