Given name & surname
Ripley
“from the noisy meadow”
Ripley is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “from the noisy meadow.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “from the noisy meadow.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1918. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Ripley through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 3,590
- 1,035 boys · 2,555 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 399 babies
- 2025
- 399
- #1,032 for girls · #1,266 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +63%
- Rising fast
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 30% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 243 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,032 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 25.4% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 156 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (31). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,775 as a first name in 2020; 8,953 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.
Ripley’s family of names
In English usage, Ripley has a diminutive in Rip. Ripley has a related form in Riplea. Ripley has a related form in Rip.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 9
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Ripdiminutive · English
- Ripleevariant
- Rippleylikely variant
- Ripleighvariant
- Ripleahvariant
- Ripleavariant
- Riplievariant
- Riplivariant
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Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Ripley
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Ripley, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Oakley
“from the field of oak trees” · “from the meadow of oak trees”
35% boys · 65% girls
Leighton
“from the town near the meadow”
26% boys · 74% girls
Sage
“wise one; type of spice”
32% boys · 68% girls
Harley
“from the meadow of the hares”
20% boys · 80% girls
Murphy
“daughter of a great sea warrior” · “a warrior of the sea”
38% boys · 62% girls
Presley
“of the priest's town” · “from the priest's meadow”
7% boys · 93% girls
Winter
“born during the winter season”
6% boys · 94% girls
Sutton
“from the southern town”
33% boys · 67% girls