girl's name
Rylee
RY-lee
- Origin English
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 81,762
the United States
#137
2025 births
Rylee is a girl's name of Old English origin meaning "rye clearing." It is a respelling of Riley, from a place name combining ryge, rye, with leah, a woodland clearing — not from the Irish word for courageous.
- Rylee is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 2010, when 3,298 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,506 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1980.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Rylee over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1980s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1980s | 233 |
| 1990s | 4,147 |
| 2000s | 24,227 |
| 2010s | 30,579 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 15,371 |
What Rylee means
Rylee means the clearing where rye grows. The commonly given meaning courageous belongs to a separate Irish surname and has attached itself to the English place name.
Where Rylee comes from
Rylee respells Riley, which has two unrelated sources that converged. The English Riley is a place name from the Old English ryge, rye, and leah, a clearing, found in Lancashire and Devon. The Irish Ó Raghallaigh, anglicized as Reilly or Riley, is separate and is where the meaning valiant or courageous comes from. Because both anglicized to the same spelling, reference works list rye clearing and courageous side by side without explaining that they belong to different names. The -ee respelling is modern and marks female use.
Rylee in use
Our data shows Rylee stable, peaking in 2010, and it first appears in our records in 1980. Its use is almost entirely American — the respelling wave that produced Rylee, Kaylee and Bailee has very little British presence, which is the reverse of the British pet-form pattern.
How popular is Rylee?
In 2025, Rylee was given to 2,202 babies in the United States, ranking #137 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Rylee is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Rylee
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Rylee also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Rylee over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Rylee
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Rylee in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Rylee
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Rylee — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Rylee
What does the name Rylee mean?
Rylee means "rye clearing," from the Old English ryge, rye, and leah, a clearing.
Does Rylee mean courageous?
That meaning belongs to the Irish Ó Raghallaigh, a separate name that anglicized to the same spelling.
What is the difference between Rylee and Riley?
Only spelling. Riley is used for both sexes; the -ee respelling marks female use.
How popular is the name Rylee?
In 2025, Rylee was given to 2,202 babies in the United States, ranking #137 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Rylee a girl's or a boy's name?
Rylee is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Rylee?
Rylee has 2 syllables.
When was Rylee most popular?
Rylee peaked in 2010, when 3,298 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Rylee?
Rylee is usually shortened to Ry.
Is Rylee a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Rylee currently ranks #137 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.