Riley (given name)

Riley
Pronunciation/ˈraɪli/ RY-lee
GenderUnisex
Language(s)English
Origin
Language(s)1. Old English
2. Irish Gaelic
Word/nameRiley (surname)
Meaning"rye" + "wood, clearing"
Region of originEngland and Ireland
Other names
Variant form(s)Reilly, Rileigh, Rylee, Ryleigh, Rylie etc.

Riley is a transferred use of an English surname derived from Old English ryge ‘rye’ + lēah ‘wood’, ‘clearing’.[1][2]

It is also derived from the Irish surname O'Reilly,[3] which originated from the Irish name Raghallach, of unknown meaning.[4]

  1. ^ "Riley - given name origin".
  2. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). Oxford Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. p. 231. ISBN 0-19-861060-2.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Bardsley was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). Oxford Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. p. 231. ISBN 0-19-861060-2.