NameCensus.

UK surname

Reilly

Descended from the Irish surname Ó Raghallaigh, meaning "descendant of Raghallach," a personal name meaning "courageous" or "valiant."

In the 1881 census there were 3,170 people recorded with the Reilly surname, ranking it #1,420 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 14,942, ranked #425, up from #1,420 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, London parishes and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Whitfield, Fintry and Roystonhill, Blochairn, and Provanmill.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Reilly is 14,967 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 371.4%.

1881 census count

3,170

Ranked #1,420

Modern count

14,942

2016, ranked #425

Peak year

2010

14,967 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Reilly had 3,170 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,420 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 14,942 in 2016, ranked #425.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,368 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Reilly surname distribution map

The map shows where the Reilly surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Reilly surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Reilly over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 1,222 #2,331
1861 historical 1,298 #2,199
1881 historical 3,170 #1,420
1891 historical 3,277 #1,447
1901 historical 4,368 #1,300
1911 historical 1,954 #2,539
1997 modern 13,252 #461
1998 modern 13,742 #460
1999 modern 13,787 #462
2000 modern 13,705 #461
2001 modern 13,320 #463
2002 modern 13,850 #456
2003 modern 13,577 #455
2004 modern 13,754 #447
2005 modern 13,679 #443
2006 modern 13,710 #442
2007 modern 14,000 #437
2008 modern 14,145 #434
2009 modern 14,530 #433
2010 modern 14,967 #430
2011 modern 14,672 #430
2012 modern 14,412 #430
2013 modern 14,728 #430
2014 modern 14,926 #428
2015 modern 14,839 #428
2016 modern 14,942 #425

Geography

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Where Reillys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, London parishes, Edinburgh, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Whitfield, Fintry, Roystonhill, Blochairn, and Provanmill, Greenend and Carnbroe and The Glens. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Govan Combination Lanark
2 London parishes London 3
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Whitfield Dundee City
2 Fintry Dundee City
3 Roystonhill, Blochairn, and Provanmill Glasgow City
4 Greenend and Carnbroe North Lanarkshire
5 The Glens Dundee City

Forenames

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First names often paired with Reilly

These lists show first names that appear often with the Reilly surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Reilly

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Reilly, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Reilly surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Reilly household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Reilly is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Reilly is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Reilly falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Reilly is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Reilly, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Reilly

The surname Reilly originates from Ireland and is an anglicized version of the Gaelic name O'Raghailligh. It is believed to have derived from the Irish word riaghail, meaning "rule" or "regulator," suggesting that the name may have been initially bestowed upon a local official or magistrate.

In its early form, the name was often spelled as O'Reilly or O'Reyly. It is found in several ancient Irish manuscripts, such as the Annals of the Four Masters, which record notable individuals bearing the name as early as the 12th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Reilly can be found in the 14th-century Red Book of Ormond, which mentions a Richard Reilly as a witness to a land transaction in County Cavan, Ireland.

The Reilly family was particularly prominent in County Cavan, where they held significant lands and power. The name is also associated with several place names in the region, such as Killyreilly and Ballyreilly.

Notable individuals with the surname Reilly include:

1. Edmund Reilly (c. 1598-1669), a Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh who played a crucial role in the Irish Confederate Wars. 2. Andrew Reilly (1742-1809), an Irish-American merchant and politician who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress. 3. Winona Ryder (born Winona Laura Horowitz in 1971), an American actress whose stage name is derived from her father's surname, Reilly. 4. Philip Reilly (1788-1858), an Irish sculptor known for his works in Dublin, including the statue of Daniel O'Connell in the city center. 5. John Reilly (1786-1854), an Irish-American businessman and politician who served as the 16th Mayor of Philadelphia.

The surname Reilly has maintained a strong presence in Ireland, particularly in the counties of Cavan, Longford, and Westmeath, where it can trace its roots back to the medieval period.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Reilly families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Reilly surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lanarkshire leads with 813 Reillys recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.11x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 813 8.11x
Lancashire 528 1.43x
Angus 368 12.81x
Midlothian 208 5.01x
Middlesex 188 0.61x
Durham 105 1.14x
Renfrewshire 88 3.66x
Surrey 86 0.57x
Yorkshire 75 0.24x
Cheshire 74 1.08x
Dunbartonshire 65 7.80x
West Lothian 51 10.92x
Kent 42 0.40x
Fife 40 2.18x
Northumberland 39 0.85x
Hampshire 36 0.57x
Ayrshire 34 1.47x
Stirlingshire 32 2.80x
Staffordshire 27 0.26x
East Lothian 23 5.60x
Royal Navy 22 5.95x
Devon 19 0.29x
Perthshire 18 1.29x
Glamorgan 17 0.31x
Monmouthshire 15 0.67x
Selkirkshire 12 4.28x
Sussex 11 0.21x
Flintshire 10 1.20x
Kirkcudbrightshire 10 2.23x
Gloucestershire 9 0.15x
Suffolk 9 0.24x
Somerset 8 0.16x
Essex 7 0.11x
Morayshire 7 1.45x
Roxburghshire 7 1.25x
Buteshire 6 3.19x
Derbyshire 6 0.12x
Aberdeenshire 5 0.17x
Berkshire 5 0.21x
Dorset 5 0.25x
Berwickshire 4 1.07x
Norfolk 4 0.08x
Nottinghamshire 4 0.10x
Hertfordshire 3 0.14x
Shropshire 3 0.11x
Wigtownshire 3 0.73x
Wiltshire 3 0.11x
Argyllshire 2 0.23x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.10x
Cornwall 2 0.06x
Cumberland 2 0.07x
Denbighshire 2 0.17x
Kinross-shire 2 2.55x
Leicestershire 2 0.06x
Lincolnshire 2 0.04x
Warwickshire 2 0.03x
Anglesey 1 0.18x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.08x
Channel Islands 1 0.11x
Dumfriesshire 1 0.15x
Merionethshire 1 0.18x
Peeblesshire 1 0.69x
Worcestershire 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Dundee in Angus leads with 233 Reillys recorded in 1881 and an index of 21.72x.

Place Total Index
Dundee 233 21.72x
Glasgow 228 12.80x
Barony 194 7.64x
Liverpool 143 6.40x
Govan 133 5.36x
Liff Benvie 116 26.60x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 69 4.13x
Hamilton 60 21.45x
Old Monkland 55 13.82x
Salford 41 3.79x
Bootle Cum Linacre 37 12.66x
Kirkdale 36 5.82x
Bothwell 31 11.40x
Birkenhead 29 5.31x
New Monkland 27 9.11x
Maryhill 25 12.73x
Kensington London 24 1.39x
Everton 22 1.88x
Heworth 22 12.10x
Toxteth Park 22 1.77x
Royal Navy 21 6.65x
West Calder 20 24.43x
Camberwell 19 0.96x
Haddington 19 31.34x
St Pancras London 19 0.76x
Dumbarton 18 15.52x
Portsea 18 1.44x
Bathgate 17 16.77x
Blackburn 17 1.74x
East Greenock 17 7.49x
Widnes 17 6.41x
Edinburgh St Johns 15 57.21x
South Leith 15 3.21x
Abbey 14 3.82x
Cadder 14 18.90x
Darlington 14 3.93x
Manchester 14 0.85x
New Kilpatrick 14 17.66x
Runcorn 14 8.87x
Eccleston In Prescot 13 7.04x
Edinburgh New North 13 35.95x
Islington London 13 0.43x
Kirkcaldy 13 14.28x
Kyo 13 29.93x
Lambeth 13 0.48x
Lochee 13 50.74x
Middle Greenock 13 19.82x
Row 13 12.06x
Seaton Delaval 13 32.08x
St George Hanover 13 3.21x
Battersea 12 1.05x
Dalmellington 12 17.59x
St Ninians 12 10.58x
Wednesbury 12 4.59x
West Derby 12 1.11x
Elswick 11 2.99x
Leeds 11 0.63x
Paisley High Church 11 5.75x
Parr 11 8.36x
Whitburn 11 16.30x
Dunfermline 10 3.54x
Garston 10 9.21x
Gateshead 10 1.45x
Ormskirk 10 14.20x
Perth Middle Church 10 19.11x
Roath 10 4.08x
St George Bloomsbury 10 5.62x
Bermondsey 9 0.97x
Cambuslang 9 8.90x
Duddingston 9 10.79x
East Murton 9 52.11x
Edinburgh Canongate 9 8.51x
Edinburgh Tron Church 9 46.23x
Kirkintilloch 9 7.95x
Livingstone 9 56.50x
Monks Coppenhall 9 3.48x
Plymouth St Andrew 9 1.81x
Wortley In Bramley 9 3.70x
Eastwood 8 5.41x
Falkirk 8 2.99x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Reilly surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Reilly surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 114
James 87
Thomas 67
Patrick 59
William 54
Edward 29
Michael 28
Hugh 23
Joseph 21
Charles 20
George 19
Peter 19
Robert 11
Francis 9
Henry 8
Bernard 7
Daniel 7
Richard 7
Phillip 6
Arthur 5
Frank 5
Jeremiah 5
Martin 5
Owen 5
Philip 5
Albert 4
Alfred 4
Samuel 4
Thos. 4
Walter 4
Wm. 4
Andrew 3
Christopher 3
David 3
Edmund 3
Edwin 3
Alexander 2
Benjamin 2
Cornelius 2
Denis 2
Dennis 2
Edmond 2
Eugene 2
Gerard 2
Harry 2
Herbert 2
Jno. 2
Lawrence 2
Patsey 2
Stephen 2

FAQ

Reilly surname: questions and answers

How common was the Reilly surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,170 people were recorded with the Reilly surname. That placed it at #1,420 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Reilly surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 14,942 in 2016. That gives Reilly a modern rank of #425.

What does the Reilly surname mean?

Descended from the Irish surname Ó Raghallaigh, meaning "descendant of Raghallach," a personal name meaning "courageous" or "valiant."

What does the Reilly map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Reilly bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.