Given name & surname
Reilly
“an outgoing man”
Reilly is used as a given name and a surname. One interpretation is “an outgoing man.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “an outgoing man.”
Where it comes from
In English use, Reilly has a related form in Riley. Riley has been associated with English and Irish naming traditions. The precise derivation is uncertain.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1953. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Reilly through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 10,088
- 4,560 boys · 5,528 girls
- Most popular year
- 1997
- 543 babies
- 2025
- 108
- #2,855 for girls · #2,708 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −25%
- Easing
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 46% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 60 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,855 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 25.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 379 in 1998. It also appeared in 48 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, Illinois and New Jersey and New York shared the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (6 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 9,187 as a first name in 2020; 39,645 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Reilly’s family of names
Reilly has a related form in Riley. Reilly has a related form in Reilley. Reilly has a related form in Reillea.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Reilly
- Reilly OpelkaAmerican tennis player (born 1997)
- Reilly SmithCanadian ice hockey playerborn 1991
- Reilly DolmanCanadian actorborn 1988
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Reilly, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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60% boys · 40% girls
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Shea
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36% boys · 64% girls