Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2018

Ridley

Gender Unisex · 47% girls Rank 2025 #2,089 Trend ↓ Falling 12%
Rank 2025
#2,089
among boys · ↑166 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
166
named Ridley · -1% vs 2024
How common
1 in 24,057
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2018
213 babies
All-time total
2,892
#3,906 all-time among boys
First recorded
1915
in Social Security records

Ridley popularity over time

2,892 babies have been named Ridley since 1915, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.030.050.080.118801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – 16 16 2 – #3,016
1920s – 29 29 3 +81% #3,405
1930s – 47 47 5 +62% #2,804
1940s – 32 32 3 -32% #2,869
1950s – 31 31 3 -3% #3,223
1960s – – – – – –
1970s – – – – – –
1980s – 5 5 1 – #7,582
1990s – 33 33 3 +560% #8,243
2000s 115 228 343 34 +939% #2,937
2010s 641 652 1,293 129 +277% #1,742
2020s (to 2025) 608 455 1,063 177 +37% #1,760

Where Ridley is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 69 0.04 outside top 500
2027 68 0.04 outside top 500
2028 67 0.04 outside top 500
2029 66 0.04 outside top 500
2030 65 0.04 outside top 500

Where Ridley is most popular

Boys named Ridley per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.044 per 1,000. Strongest in Minnesota, Indiana, and Ohio.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Ridley born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Minnesota 6 0.049 +12%
Indiana 7 0.044 ≈ national
Ohio 11 0.042 -5%
Missouri 5 0.036 -17%
California 30 0.033 -25%
Georgia 6 0.024 -46%
Florida 10 0.021 -51%
Pennsylvania 5 0.019 -57%
Texas 13 0.015 -66%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
New York – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Ridley

Ridley is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,089 in 2025 with 71 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1915, 2,892 American babies have been named Ridley, about 53% boys and 47% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2018, when 213 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Ridley stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Ridley?

The median living Ridley is about 7 years old; half are between 4 and 12. An estimated 2,800 people named Ridley are alive in the United States today.

median 7 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Ridley year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 95 #2,013 71 #2,089
2024 103 #1,938 64 #2,255
2023 107 #1,876 72 #2,074
2022 104 #1,928 77 #1,994
2021 98 #1,989 92 #1,760
2020 101 #1,903 79 #1,890
2019 111 #1,839 76 #1,948
2018 124 #1,684 89 #1,742
2017 75 #2,423 72 #1,996
2016 84 #2,284 79 #1,886
2015 71 #2,548 62 #2,203
2014 72 #2,512 68 #2,078
2013 33 #4,407 65 #2,085
2012 28 #5,082 51 #2,477
2011 26 #5,329 39 #2,988
2010 17 #7,444 51 #2,463
2009 20 #6,762 41 #2,937
2008 20 #6,757 37 #3,153
2007 12 #10,022 23 #4,341
2006 19 #6,786 25 #3,971
2005 12 #9,334 20 #4,427
2004 13 #8,617 28 #3,436
2003 10 #10,272 21 #4,079
2002 9 #10,904 15 #5,090
2001 – – 13 #5,608
2000 – – 5 #11,760
1995 – – 5 #9,995
1990 – – – –
1985 – – – –
1980 – – – –
1975 – – – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – 5 #4,288
1950 – – – –
1945 – – 5 #3,688
1940 – – – –
1935 – – 8 #2,899
1930 – – 5 #4,450
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – 8 #3,016
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Ridley

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Ridley Scott Ridley Scott English filmmaker (born 1937) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Ridley, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Ridley?

The median living Ridley is about 7 years old. Half of all living Ridleys are between 4 and 12 years old.

How many people named Ridley are alive today?

An estimated 2,800 people named Ridley are alive in the United States, based on 2,892 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Ridley in 2025?

Ridley ranked #2,089 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 71 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Ridley?

2,892 babies have been named Ridley in the United States since 1915, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Ridley most popular?

Ridley peaked in 2018, when 213 newborns received the name.

Is Ridley a boy or girl name?

Ridley is used for both: about 47% of babies named Ridley have been girls and 53% boys.

Is the name Ridley rising or falling?

Ridley is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Ridley become more popular?

Ridley is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 65 boys named Ridley in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Ridley?

Well-known people named Ridley include Ridley Scott (film director).

Names like Ridley

Names that sound and feel close to Ridley: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Ridley with similar names → More names starting with R →