Mary Kate vs Riley
Mary Kate 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.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Mary Kate was ranked #885 and Riley #266 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Mary Kate and Riley over time
Mary Kate and Riley appear together in 1 published list, across 15 years of shared records. Riley held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Mary Kate 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.
Mary Kate reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Riley 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.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Mary Kate and Riley changed places 5 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 2008 and 2025, ending at #885 and #266.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls15 shared years, 2008–2025
Mary Kate held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Riley in 11.
Highest recorded here: Mary Kate #319 in 2010, Riley #134 in 2018.
The order changed in 2014: Riley moved ahead. In 2013 they stood at #660 and #747; by 2014 that had become #876 and #264.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Mary Kate #885, Riley #266.
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 | Mary Kate | Riley |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | 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 | 4 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #885 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #66 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 70/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Riley has a recorded origin (Irish/English (surname origin), dual tradition); Mary Kate does not have one recorded yet.
- Mary Kate has 4 syllables, compared with 2 for Riley.
- A meaning is recorded for Riley; Mary Kate doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in IE.
How each name got here
Mary Kate
Popularity journey
First recorded2006
First recorded at #550 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 2006 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded2006–2025
Highest recorded position: #319 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2010 (recorded 2006–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #885 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
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 #186 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls