Con vs Riley
Con and Rileycompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Con was ranked #404 and Riley #108 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Con was ranked #329 and Riley #188 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Con and Riley over time
Con and Riley appear together in 1 published list, across 18 years of shared records. Riley held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Con in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Riley reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Con in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys18 shared years, 2004–2025
Con held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Riley in 17.
Highest recorded here: Con #296 in 2021, Riley #105 in 2015.
The order changed in 2007: Riley moved ahead. In 2006 they stood at #439 and #506; by 2007 that had become #527 and #309.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Con #329, Riley #188.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Con | Riley |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | An Irish surname (variant of Reilly) or an English surname meaning 'rye clearing' — its use as a first name is relatively modern, dating from the 1980s-90s. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Irish/English (surname origin), dual tradition |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈɹaɪ.li/ |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-NIR, IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #329 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #66 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Riley has a recorded origin (Irish/English (surname origin), dual tradition); Con does not have one recorded yet.
- Con has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Riley.
- A meaning is recorded for Riley; Con doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Con
Popularity journey
First recorded1988
First recorded at #319 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1988 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1988–2025
Highest recorded position: #296 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2021 (recorded 1988–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #329 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Riley
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #1755 among girls in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2025
Highest recorded position: #6 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2008 (recorded 1996–2025).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #91 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls