The Reilly surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 40,884 people carried this name — #845 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 7,220 people counted. That is up 1% from 40,310 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Reilly surname

From Irish Ó Raghallaigh, a surname meaning "descendants of Raghallach".

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Reilly» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 586 births for the Reilly name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 26,000 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The count includes the spelling Rielly.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 254
Ulster 199
Connacht 83
Munster 50

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 128 people named Reilly live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 88
City of Buenos Aires 40

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

41 people named Reilly live in Switzerland.

They live in 6 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 10
Geneva 9
Bern 7
Vaud 6
Basel-Stadt 5
Ticino 4

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 31 people named Reilly.

Most of them — 18 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 7 départements, most often Meuse.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 18
Meuse 3
Pas-de-Calais 3
Calvados 2
Haute-Savoie 2
Finistère 1
Nord 1
Paris 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

81 people named Reilly are counted in Sweden and Finland.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 61
Finland (2026) 20

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

In Scotland’s registers today

Reilly was recorded 189 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 106th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 264. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Reilly in American newspapers,
1908–1922.

Newspaper page from The Pacific Commercial Advertiser carrying the name Reilly
The Pacific Commercial Advertiser 1908-08-30
Newspaper page from The Hawaiian Gazette carrying the name Reilly
The Hawaiian Gazette 1908-09-01
Newspaper page from Casper Daily Tribune carrying the name Reilly
Casper Daily Tribune 1922-02-25

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Reilly in Australian newspapers,
1820s–1990s.

84,841 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Reilly. The most, 14,716, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 1.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 29,171
Victoria 20,103
Queensland 12,348
Western Australia 8,868
Tasmania 7,273
South Australia 6,268
ACT (Canberra) 565
Northern Territory 70

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Reilly.

Who carried it

People named Reilly,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Thomas Devin Reilly
    Thomas Devin Reilly 1823–1854
  • Callcott Reilly
    Callcott Reilly 1828–1900
  • James W. Reilly
    James W. Reilly 1828–1905 · lawyer
  • James Reilly
    James Reilly 1835–1909
  • John Reilly
    John Reilly 1836–1904 · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped — John Reilly: John W. Jordan, Author. Lewis Historical Publishing Company (New York, NY), publisher., CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0); the others are in the public domain or CC0 · 234 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Reilly,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States23,330 records

23,330 records of the Reilly name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 10,419
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 5,997
  • Other U.S. records 6,914
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record John Francis Reilly

    Born 1947; from White Bear Lake, Minnesota. U.S. Marine Corps, field radio operator; killed in action 1966 in Quang Ngai, South Vietnam. Buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minnesota.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record John A. Reilly

    Born 1918 in Pennsylvania. Enlisted 1941 at Philadelphia; office clerk. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2001, buried at Calverton National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Brid Reilly

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the Umbria from Liverpool, aged 54; matron. From Galway, Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 23,330 records for Reilly in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · Ramsey County, Minnesota (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia2,721 records

2,721 records of the Reilly name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 984
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 484
  • Other Australian records 1,253
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Patrick Reilly

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Hyderabad, sailing from Kingston in 1849. Native of Westmeath. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1851.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Margaret Reilly

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Duke of Cornwall, sailing from Kingston in 1850. Native of Galway. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1851. Married 1851 in Morven, Tasmania, aged 17.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Reilly

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Ratcliffe, sailing from London in 1845. Native of Cavan. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1851.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 2,721 records for Reilly in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada157 records

157 records of the Reilly name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 79
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 19
  • Other Canadian records 59
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Reilly

    Came to Ontario in 1882 aboard the Nestorian, landing at Quebec, bound for London, Ontario; Irish.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Mary Louise Reilly

    Buried in 1988 at St. Mary's Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 82.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record James Reilly

    Buried in 1995 at Lundys Lane Cemetery, Niagara Falls, Ontario.

    City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls.

Showing 3 of 157 records for Reilly in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

Ireland140 records

140 records of the Reilly name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margaret Reilly

    Died 1962, aged 72; buried at Rakerin, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Reilly

    Died 1998, aged 86; buried at Glenamaddy (New), Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Reilly

    Died 1898, aged 72; buried at Clonburn, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 140 records for Reilly in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

United Kingdom93 records

93 records of the Reilly name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 62
  • Stirling Council burial records 29
  • Other British records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth Reilly

    Died 1962, aged 73; buried at Gargunnock Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth Reilly

    Buried in 1810 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 38.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record George Reilly

    Died 1915. Named in the roll of honour (1926).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)

Showing 3 of 93 records for Reilly in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand36 records

36 records of the Reilly name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 25
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 6
  • Other New Zealand records 5
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Annie Reilly

    Died 1898, aged 82; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Michael Reilly

    Buried in 1883 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 46.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Hilda May Reilly

    Died 2001, aged 74; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 36 records for Reilly in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France11 records

11 records of the Reilly name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Marie Josephe Reilly

    Born 1902 in Paris; died 2000 in Magnanville (Yvelines).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jean Joseph Reilly

    Born 1922 in Annecy; died 1989 in Annecy (Haute-Savoie).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 11 records for Reilly in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands6 records

6 records of the Reilly name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 4
  • Dutch population registers 2
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Charles James Reilly

    Married in 1945 in Nijmegen; printer.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Elise Kennedy Reilly

    Died 1915 in 's-Gravenhage, aged 63.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 6 records for Reilly in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Reilly.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Reilly is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Reilly volume
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