Ridley

Did you know?

A few things about Ridley you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Ridley

Ridley Scott

English filmmaker (born 1937)

Choose Ridley and your child shares a first name with Ridley Scott, an English filmmaker. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Ridley, like who?” Ridley Scott's Wikipedia article is available in 94 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Ridley Scott on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Raph_PH, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 16,920 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Ridley, 95 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Ridley would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryRidley first shows up in US birth records in 1915, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 110 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIts best year was 2018, when it reached #1,677.
• ✨New on the sceneRidley wasn't given to enough babies to be counted in 2000. It only took off after 2002.
• 🍂TrendRidley has slipped 109 places over the last five years and now sits at #2,002. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedRidley is most popular in Indiana, where it ranks #721. It's in the top 1,000 in 1 state.
• ⚖️Boy or girlRidley is given to both boys and girls: 57% of the 166 babies named Ridley in 2025 were girls. That makes it one of the names that truly works for either.
• 💬MeaningIn English, Ridley means “reed clearing”.

About the name Ridley

Ridley is a gender-neutral name of English origin meaning “reed clearing”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with R and ending in “-ley”. US birth records list Ridley for girls from 2002 to 2025, in 24 of those 24 years. Its best year was 2018, when it ranked #1,677 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #2,002, with 95 babies. Of the 166 US babies named Ridley in 2025, 57% were girls and 43% were boys.

Origin:English names