NameRealm
Ridley

Ridley: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“reed clearing”
Origin
English
Say it
RID-lee · 2 syllables
Used for
Both (47% girls, 53% boys since 1880)

Ridley is an English surname from place names derived from Old English elements for 'reed' and 'clearing' or 'wood'. It later came into use as a given name.

English namesNames meaning natureNames meaning earthSurname-style namesModern names

How popular is Ridley?

202450.0 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Ridley in 2024167

2024 rank#1,920 girls

Peak year2018

Total US babies since 18802,726

Ridley is rising: use over the last five years is 2.2× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Ridley

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Averyruler of elves · English
  • Riverriver · English
  • Sawyerwoodcutter · English
  • TatumTata's homestead · English
  • EmersonEmery's son · English
  • Haydenhay valley · English
  • Sagewise one; sage plant · English
  • Remingtonsettlement by the streambank · English

Ridley questions

What does the name Ridley mean?

Ridley means "reed clearing". It comes from English. Ridley is an English surname from place names derived from Old English elements for 'reed' and 'clearing' or 'wood'. It later came into use as a given name.

Is Ridley a boy or girl name?

Ridley is used for both: about 47% of US babies named Ridley since 1880 were girls.

How popular is Ridley?

167 US babies were named Ridley in 2024. Its peak year was 2018.

How do you pronounce Ridley?

Ridley is usually pronounced RID-lee.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.