Ryder
Ryder was the 133rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 2,710 babies. Its best year was 2014, when it ranked 95th; the most babies were born in 2015 (4,165). Over the last ten years it has moved down 35 places. More babies were named Ryder in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning rider, mounted warrior (surname) · Old English, English
Say it RY-der /ˈraɪdər/
- Rank in 2025
- #133 boys, down 25 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 2,710boys
- Girls and boys
- 6% girls, 94% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20154,165 babies
- Total since 1880
- 69,088babies recorded
What does the name Ryder mean?
Ryder is an English occupational surname for a rider, especially a mounted warrior or messenger; Wiktionary traces the word to late Old English ridere, 'rider, knight'. As a first name it is a modern transfer from the surname, used mostly for boys in the US. The y spelling is simply an older English way of writing the same word, seen in Middle English forms such as ryder; the modern noun rider is the plain spelling. Like many occupational surnames, it passed from a job description to a family name and only much later to a first name.
rīdere (Old English, “rider, knight”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Rider.
See also: English names, names that mean warrior, names from occupations.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Ryder', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wiktionary, entry 'rider', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Ryder (name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Ryder popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,815 | #133 | 111 | 2,710 |
| 2020 | #1,039 | #108 | 243 | 3,382 |
| 2010 | #3,507 | #135 | 46 | 2,967 |
| 2000 | — | #797 | — | 203 |
| 1990 | — | #2,206 | — | 33 |
| 1980 | — | #3,397 | — | 13 |
| 1970 | — | #2,490 | — | 15 |
| 1960 | — | #3,984 | — | 6 |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Ryder, counting every spelling?
Ryder is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #139 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #133 for Ryder on its own. Together these spellings went to 2,740 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryder | 2,710 | #133 | 15,013 |
| Rider | 30 | #3,735 | 150 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Ryder?
2,710 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Ryder (0.75 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Ryder born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 3 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Ryder.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Ryder?
About 66,000 people born in the US named Ryder are alive today, with a median age of 11; half are between 6 and 15. That makes Ryder a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Ryder by state
How common Ryder was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Wyoming (4.2×), Hawaii (3.5×), Vermont (3.1×), West Virginia (3.1×), Montana (3.0×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in District of Columbia, New York, New Jersey.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Ryder: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Ryder, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Ryder · Sibling names for Ryder
Questions about the name Ryder
What does Ryder mean?
Ryder means “rider, mounted warrior (surname)” (Old English, English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Ryder?
Ryder was the 133rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 2,710 babies. Its best year was 2014, when it ranked 95th; the most babies were born in 2015 (4,165). Over the last ten years it has moved down 35 places. More babies were named Ryder in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Ryder a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 6% girls, 94% boys given the name Ryder in the US.
Where is Ryder most popular?
In 2021–2025, Ryder was most common in Wyoming (7.26 per 1,000 boys), followed by Hawaii and Vermont.