Riley

• From Ryley in Lancashire, from Old English ryge (“rye”) + leah (“clearing, meadow”). Equivalent to rye +‎ -ley (“lea”).
• A variant of Reilly, from Irish Ó Raghallaigh (see O'Reilly).

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹaɪ.li/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪli
• Homophones: wryly, wrylie

Riley (countable and uncountable)

1. (countable) A surname.
   • 2024 November 20, Eric Levenson, Rebekah Riess and Holly Yan, “November 20, 2024 - Judge sentences Laken Riley’s murderer to life in prison”, in CNN‎^[1]:

     Ibarra also deprived Riley of oxygen long enough to cause wounds and “intended to kill her,” Ross said.

   1. A surname from Irish of Irish origin, variant of Reilly.
   2. An English habitational surname from Old English, from Ryley in Lancashire (see Etymology above).
2. (countable) A unisex given name.
   1. A male given name transferred from the surname, of 19th century and later usage.
      • 2025 September 6, Jonathan Turley, “Tim Kaine’s Constitutional blasphemy”, in The Hill‎^[2]:

        Riley Barnes, nominated to serve as assistant secretary of State for democracy, human rights and labor, revealed his dangerous proclivities to Kaine in his opening statement when he said that “all men are created equal because our rights come from God, our creator; not from our laws, not from our governments.”

   2. A female given name from surname, of 1990s and later usage.
3. A placename
   1. A town in Riley Township, Vigo County, Indiana, United States.
   2. A town in Center Township, Hancock County, Indiana, United States.
   3. A number of townships in the United States, listed under Riley Township.
   4. A crater in Niobe Planitia, Venus.
   5. Ellipsis of Riley County.
   6. Ellipsis of Riley Creek.
4. A manufacturer of British motorcars (1907-1969) named after William Riley Jr.

• Reily, Rylie, lyrie