How to say it
RY · leigh
/ˈraɪ.li/
Feminine
Ryleigh
Rye clearing; courageous
What it means
A respelling of Riley, an English place name for a 'rye clearing' or an Irish surname from Ó Raghallaigh, 'courageous.'
Ryleigh dresses Riley in the frilly -leigh ending that reads distinctly girl. Riley itself is both an English place name, 'rye clearing,' and an anglicized Irish surname from Ó Raghallaigh, often tied to a word for 'courageous.' Once a boys' name, it swung strongly female, and the Ryleigh spelling is almost entirely girls'. Said RY-lee.
Popularity over time
peaked at #138 in 2019, currently #344 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Spelling
A girls' respelling of Riley; also Rylee and Rylie.
Spelling variants
- Riley
- Rylee
- Rylie
Names with the same feeling
See Ryleigh from another angle
By style