National Riley Day – October 15, 2024

History of National Riley Day

Riley is a name with both English and Irish roots. The surname Riley is a locational surname in England, that comes from the Old English words ‘ryge,’ or ‘rye,’ and ‘leah,’ which mean ‘wood’ or ‘clearing.’ It either derives from Ryley in Lancashire, or Riley in Devonshire, being the former a lot more likely.

Tracing it back to these roots, the Riley surname originated in Lancashire, and it accounted for over 40% of Rileys in England, according to the 1881 census. In the said census, the Riley surname was still mostly found in towns and villages along the Calder River and Ribble Valley in East Lancashire. As ‘Ryley’ was an early spelling, there are many records of it. For instance, Richard Ryley was born in Whalley, Lancashire, in 1597, and there’s also William Ryley, a Lancaster herald who lived at this time. In the late 1600s, William’s son, John, who was born in London, worked as a court portrait painter, and there are also many records of him. All of them can also be found under the ‘Riley’ spelling.

The name ‘Riley’ was first mentioned in Accrington, in the early 15th century. A Riley family arrived at Fearnihalgh, later known as Hillock Farm, which became one of Accrington’s most prominent farms. From these early records, the name Riley and its different spellings and variations slowly but surely moved through history and became more and more popular around the globe, and for the last 10 years, it has remained one of the top 100 names for girls in the U.S.