Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2025

Ripley

Meaning woodland clearing Gender Unisex · 71% girls Rank 2025 #1,032 Trend ↑ Rising 22%

From the Old English folk name for the Anglian tribe, *Hrype + Old English lēah (“woodland clearing”).

Rank 2025
#1,032
among girls · ↑217 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
399
named Ripley · +24% vs 2024
How common
1 in 6,614
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2025
399 babies
All-time total
3,590
#3,984 all-time among girls
First recorded
1918
in Social Security records

Ripley popularity over time

3,590 babies have been named Ripley since 1918, 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
0.050.10.150.218801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

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 – 6 6 1 – –
1920s – 16 16 2 +167% –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – 5 5 1 – –
1950s – 33 33 3 +560% –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s – – – – – –
1980s 17 7 24 2 – #7,006
1990s 84 11 95 10 +296% #5,308
2000s 273 87 360 36 +279% #3,667
2010s 999 211 1,210 121 +236% #1,222
2020s (to 2025) 1,182 659 1,841 307 +154% #1,032

Where Ripley is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (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 girls Implied rank
2026 251 0.16 outside top 500
2027 259 0.16 outside top 500
2028 265 0.17 outside top 500
2029 271 0.17 outside top 500
2030 276 0.17 outside top 500

Where Ripley is most popular

Girls named Ripley per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.125 per 1,000. Strongest in Washington, Oklahoma, and Oregon.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Ripley 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 Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Washington 54 0.374 +200%
Oklahoma 26 0.353 +183%
Oregon 19 0.292 +134%
Colorado 32 0.287 +130%
West Virginia 6 0.229 +84%
Indiana 32 0.228 +83%
Iowa 10 0.171 +37%
Ohio 40 0.169 +35%
Missouri 19 0.158 +27%
Virginia 25 0.147 +18%
Kentucky 12 0.140 +13%
Utah 11 0.132 +6%
California 110 0.131 +5%
Florida 53 0.124 ≈ national
North Carolina 27 0.119 -5%
Illinois 27 0.118 -5%
Wisconsin 12 0.117 -7%
Arizona 16 0.114 -8%
Michigan 20 0.110 -12%
Texas 86 0.107 -14%
Pennsylvania 21 0.089 -29%
Kansas 5 0.087 -30%
Louisiana 6 0.069 -45%
New York 26 0.066 -47%
Tennessee 10 0.063 -49%
Alabama 5 0.053 -57%
Georgia 12 0.053 -58%
Minnesota 5 0.046 -63%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Ripley

Ripley is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,032 in 2025 with 243 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1918, 3,590 American babies have been named Ripley, about 71% girls and 29% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2025, when 399 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

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 Ripley stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Ripley?

The median living Ripley is about 5 years old; half are between 2 and 10. An estimated 3,500 people named Ripley are alive in the United States today.

median 5 020406080100

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

Ripley 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 243 #1,032 156 #1,266
2024 187 #1,249 135 #1,394
2023 203 #1,184 118 #1,506
2022 207 #1,171 108 #1,621
2021 171 #1,320 76 #1,980
2020 171 #1,297 66 #2,133
2019 172 #1,331 41 #2,983
2018 192 #1,222 22 #4,579
2017 143 #1,540 26 #4,082
2016 128 #1,681 26 #4,071
2015 97 #2,038 30 #3,667
2014 76 #2,408 22 #4,505
2013 65 #2,702 16 #5,595
2012 56 #3,037 11 #7,441
2011 31 #4,657 9 #8,627
2010 39 #3,943 8 #9,491
2009 44 #3,667 13 #6,734
2008 32 #4,737 11 #7,598
2007 31 #4,782 10 #8,048
2006 28 #5,068 10 #7,879
2005 27 #4,936 15 #5,521
2004 37 #3,884 14 #5,735
2003 22 #5,559 8 #8,459
2002 20 #5,850 – –
2001 15 #7,243 6 #10,284
2000 17 #6,422 – –
1995 5 #15,208 – –
1990 – – – –
1985 – – – –
1980 – – – –
1975 – – – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – 6 #3,809
1950 – – 6 #3,616
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – 5 #4,841
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Ripley?

The median living Ripley is about 5 years old. Half of all living Ripleys are between 2 and 10 years old.

How many people named Ripley are alive today?

An estimated 3,500 people named Ripley are alive in the United States, based on 3,590 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Ripley mean?

From the Old English folk name for the Anglian tribe, *Hrype + Old English lēah (“woodland clearing”).

How popular is the name Ripley in 2025?

Ripley ranked #1,032 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 243 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Ripley?

3,590 babies have been named Ripley in the United States since 1918, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Ripley most popular?

Ripley peaked in 2025, when 399 newborns received the name.

Is Ripley a boy or girl name?

Ripley is used for both: about 71% of babies named Ripley have been girls and 29% boys.

Is the name Ripley rising or falling?

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

Will Ripley become more popular?

Ripley is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 276 girls named Ripley in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Ripley

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

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