NameCensus.

UK surname

Riley

An English surname derived from a place name meaning "rye clearing" or "wood clearing."

In the 1881 census there were 23,673 people recorded with the Riley surname, ranking it #143 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 30,712, ranked #176, down from #143 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, Halifax and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rossendale, Hyndburn and Blackburn with Darwen.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Riley is 31,694 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 29.7%.

1881 census count

23,673

Ranked #143

Modern count

30,712

2016, ranked #176

Peak year

2010

31,694 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Riley had 23,673 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #143 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 30,712 in 2016, ranked #176.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 29,450 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Riley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Riley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Riley 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 12,709 #189
1861 historical 14,387 #169
1881 historical 23,673 #143
1891 historical 24,037 #149
1901 historical 27,937 #148
1911 historical 29,450 #131
1997 modern 30,173 #173
1998 modern 31,262 #176
1999 modern 31,612 #173
2000 modern 31,120 #177
2001 modern 30,406 #176
2002 modern 31,113 #176
2003 modern 30,244 #176
2004 modern 30,203 #177
2005 modern 29,730 #177
2006 modern 29,858 #178
2007 modern 30,107 #176
2008 modern 30,234 #176
2009 modern 31,072 #175
2010 modern 31,694 #176
2011 modern 31,187 #176
2012 modern 30,423 #177
2013 modern 31,057 #176
2014 modern 31,284 #176
2015 modern 30,951 #176
2016 modern 30,712 #176

Geography

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Where Rileys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, Halifax, London parishes, Manchester and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rossendale, Hyndburn and Blackburn with Darwen. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Rochdale Lancashire
2 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
3 London parishes London 3
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rossendale 010 Rossendale
2 Rossendale 002 Rossendale
3 Hyndburn 004 Hyndburn
4 Blackburn with Darwen 008 Blackburn with Darwen
5 Hyndburn 008 Hyndburn

Forenames

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First names often paired with Riley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Riley

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Riley, 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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Riley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Riley household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Riley 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

Riley is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Riley 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 Riley is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

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

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Riley

The surname Riley is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic name O'Reilly or O'Raghailligh, meaning "descendant of Raghaillach." The name Raghaillach is believed to have derived from the word "raghalach," meaning "valorous" or "heroic." The Riley surname is thought to have first emerged in County Cavan, Ireland.

One of the earliest records of the Riley surname is found in the Annals of Ulster, a medieval chronicle that documents events in Ireland from the 5th to the 16th century. In this text, the name O'Reilly is mentioned in connection with various historical events and battles involving the powerful O'Reilly clan in County Cavan.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Riley surname spread throughout Ireland and eventually made its way to England and other parts of the British Isles. Several notable individuals with the Riley surname emerged during this time, including Sir Edmund Riley (1572-1637), an English judge and politician who served as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland.

In the 18th century, the Riley surname began to appear in colonial America as Irish immigrants settled in various regions of the New World. One prominent figure from this era was James Riley (1777-1840), an American sailor and author who wrote a memoir about his experiences as a captive in Africa.

As the Riley surname continued to spread throughout the English-speaking world, it became associated with several notable figures in various fields. For example, James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916) was a renowned American writer and poet known as the "Hoosier Poet." Another prominent individual was Charles Valentine Riley (1843-1895), an English-born American entomologist who served as the chief entomologist for the United States Department of Agriculture.

Throughout its history, the Riley surname has also been connected to various place names, such as Riley County in Kansas, which was named after Brevet Major-General Bennet Riley (1787-1853), a military officer who served in the Mexican-American War.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Riley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Riley 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. Lancashire leads with 8,663 Rileys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.16x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 8,663 3.16x
Yorkshire 4,552 1.99x
Staffordshire 1,679 2.15x
Middlesex 1,373 0.59x
Derbyshire 968 2.68x
Cheshire 891 1.75x
Warwickshire 852 1.46x
Nottinghamshire 547 1.76x
Durham 529 0.77x
Surrey 454 0.40x
Leicestershire 445 1.74x
Lanarkshire 324 0.43x
Essex 304 0.67x
Kent 234 0.30x
Northumberland 195 0.57x
Cumberland 177 0.89x
Hampshire 138 0.29x
Worcestershire 121 0.40x
Lincolnshire 102 0.28x
Glamorgan 83 0.21x
Midlothian 83 0.27x
Hertfordshire 73 0.46x
Sussex 61 0.16x
Gloucestershire 54 0.12x
Renfrewshire 51 0.28x
Devon 50 0.10x
Angus 48 0.22x
Herefordshire 44 0.46x
Shropshire 44 0.22x
Buckinghamshire 38 0.27x
Oxfordshire 35 0.25x
Denbighshire 34 0.39x
Aberdeenshire 33 0.15x
Northamptonshire 31 0.14x
Suffolk 27 0.10x
Westmorland 24 0.47x
Berkshire 21 0.12x
Flintshire 21 0.34x
Kirkcudbrightshire 21 0.63x
Monmouthshire 21 0.13x
Royal Navy 20 0.73x
Cambridgeshire 17 0.12x
Dumfriesshire 14 0.27x
Huntingdonshire 14 0.31x
Somerset 14 0.04x
Isle of Man 13 0.30x
Norfolk 13 0.04x
Wiltshire 13 0.06x
Ayrshire 12 0.07x
Channel Islands 12 0.18x
Anglesey 10 0.24x
East Lothian 10 0.33x
Bedfordshire 9 0.08x
Roxburghshire 8 0.19x
West Lothian 7 0.20x
Brecknockshire 6 0.13x
Carmarthenshire 6 0.06x
Pembrokeshire 6 0.08x
Argyllshire 5 0.08x
Dorset 5 0.03x
Inverness-shire 4 0.06x
Perthshire 4 0.04x
Rutland 4 0.24x
Cornwall 3 0.01x
Fife 3 0.02x
Montgomeryshire 3 0.06x
Stirlingshire 3 0.04x
Cardiganshire 2 0.04x
Dunbartonshire 2 0.03x
Orkney 2 0.08x
Berwickshire 1 0.04x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.01x
Selkirkshire 1 0.05x
Wigtownshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 562 Rileys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.37x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 562 3.37x
Manchester 517 4.19x
Blackburn 445 6.10x
Accrington 402 16.12x
Habergham Eaves 294 11.73x
Birmingham 265 1.36x
Leeds 252 1.95x
Halifax 241 7.17x
Salford 223 2.76x
Aston 209 1.30x
Great Little Marsden 208 16.56x
Newchurch 206 9.18x
Preston 200 2.73x
Oldham 193 2.18x
Burnley 192 8.31x
Keighley 160 6.55x
Leicester St Margaret 158 2.53x
Stoke Upon Trent 157 1.90x
Bury 154 4.92x
Sheffield 152 2.08x
Huddersfield 151 4.53x
Spotland 150 4.92x
Bradford 147 2.65x
Nottingham St Mary 142 1.76x
Audley 139 18.01x
Hulme 139 2.43x
Horton In Bradford 134 3.75x
St Pancras London 132 0.71x
West Derby 132 1.65x
Northowram 131 8.16x
Hunslet 129 3.61x
West Bromwich 126 2.82x
Haslingden 120 10.57x
Colne 117 14.32x
Everton 116 1.33x
Over Darwen 114 5.20x
Wigan 108 2.82x
Higher Booths 106 21.44x
Chorlton On Medlock 105 2.41x
Ovenden 102 10.01x
Oswaldtwistle 99 10.22x
Shoreditch London 99 0.99x
Toxteth Park 97 1.04x
Camberwell 95 0.64x
Soyland 95 34.57x
Barrow In Furness 94 2.52x
Ashton Under Lyne 93 1.55x
Glasgow 93 0.70x
Pendleton In Salford 91 2.78x
Gateshead 90 1.75x
Tottington Lower End 89 6.83x
Ilkeston 88 8.67x
Barony 87 0.46x
Stafford St Mary 87 7.88x
Whalley 86 21.52x
Castleton 85 3.10x
Great Bolton 84 2.31x
Kirkdale 83 1.80x
West Ham 83 0.82x
Hackney London 82 0.63x
Warley 82 12.39x
Bootle Cum Linacre 81 3.72x
Walsall Foreign 77 1.91x
Wolverhampton 77 1.28x
Lancaster 72 4.41x
Pilkington 72 6.91x
Alfreton 69 6.28x
Chelsea London 69 0.99x
Clayton Le Moors 69 12.97x
Ossett Cum Gawthorpe 69 8.43x
Sowerby In Halifax 66 8.81x
Dewsbury 65 2.77x
Elton 65 6.86x
Layton With Warbreck 63 6.26x
Leicester St Mary 62 2.99x
St George In East 62 3.94x
Little Bolton 61 1.73x
Stockport 61 2.32x
Warrington 61 1.88x
Islington London 60 0.27x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 2,047
Sarah 900
Elizabeth 870
Ann 547
Margaret 436
Ellen 430
Jane 420
Alice 403
Annie 317
Hannah 307
Emma 282
Catherine 259
Martha 252
Eliza 226
Emily 138
Bridget 135
Maria 105
Ada 103
Harriet 103
Clara 95
Kate 91
Edith 88
Fanny 88
Louisa 87
Agnes 85
Charlotte 73
Caroline 71
Julia 71
Lucy 69
Anne 66
Isabella 65
Nancy 63
Susannah 63
Rose 56
Frances 55
Florence 54
Esther 53
Susan 52
Betty 49
Rebecca 49
Ruth 49
Betsy 48
Elizth. 46
Amelia 45
Harriett 43
Matilda 35
Amy 34
Eleanor 34
Sophia 31
Grace 30

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 1,711
William 1,172
James 1,028
Thomas 935
George 555
Joseph 548
Henry 317
Charles 287
Edward 273
Robert 226
Patrick 202
Samuel 200
Richard 196
Arthur 168
Michael 156
Alfred 137
Albert 122
Peter 103
Walter 103
Harry 89
Frederick 87
Benjamin 73
Francis 72
Frank 70
Fred 68
Herbert 68
Thos. 66
Wm. 61
Edwin 59
Daniel 56
David 56
Ernest 52
Matthew 43
Tom 41
Abraham 40
Isaac 40
Hugh 37
Bernard 35
Christopher 32
Jas. 31
Willie 30
Philip 28
Joe 27
Jonathan 27
Jno. 26
Martin 25
Owen 25
Mathew 24
Edmund 21
Andrew 20

FAQ

Riley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Riley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 23,673 people were recorded with the Riley surname. That placed it at #143 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Riley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 30,712 in 2016. That gives Riley a modern rank of #176.

What does the Riley surname mean?

An English surname derived from a place name meaning "rye clearing" or "wood clearing."

What does the Riley map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Riley 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.