Renly
A masculine name of uncertain origin, possibly related to Old English rēne "serene".
Name Census estimates that about 588 living Americans carry the first name Renly. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 69.4% of registrations being male. The average person named Renly today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Renly births was 2018 (102 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Renly. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Renly with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
588
~ 1 in 582,916 Americans
Peak year
2018
102 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,950
Tracked since 2012
Gender
Gender distribution for Renly
Renly is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 592 total registrations, 411 (69.4%) were male and 181 (30.6%) were female.
Renly as a male name
- Ranked #3,950 in 2024
- 28 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2017 (67 births)
Renly as a female name
- Ranked #8,819 in 2024
- 12 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2018 (43 births)
Popularity
Renly: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Renly from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 378 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Renly remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Renly by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Renly during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Renlys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee recorded the most babies named Renly, while Tennessee, North Carolina, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 5 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Renly
The name Renly is believed to have originated from the Old English name Renli or Reinli, which itself is derived from the Germanic root words "ragin" meaning "counsel" and "lind" meaning "tender" or "soft." Its earliest recorded use dates back to the 7th century in the Anglo-Saxon regions of what is now England.
One of the earliest written records of the name Renly can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a detailed survey of land and property ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Renlius" in this historical document, referring to a landowner in the county of Wiltshire.
In the 12th century, a Renly is mentioned as a knight and retainer of King Henry II in the chronicles of the time. This particular Renly is noted for his participation in the Third Crusade, which took place between 1189 and 1192.
During the 13th century, a Renly de Clifford is recorded as being a member of the landed gentry in the county of Herefordshire. He is mentioned in several legal documents and charters from that period, indicating the name's continued use among the nobility.
In the late 15th century, a Sir Renly Boleyn is recorded as being a courtier and diplomat in the service of King Henry VII. He is believed to have been an ancestor of the famous Anne Boleyn, who later became the second wife of King Henry VIII.
Another notable individual with the name Renly was Renly Wilkins, a 17th-century English clergyman and author. He was born in 1616 and is best known for his work "A Discourse Concerning the Gift of Prayer," published in 1673.
While the name Renly has seen sporadic use throughout history, it has remained relatively uncommon compared to other English given names. Its rarity and unique sound have contributed to its enduring appeal for some parents seeking a distinctive name with historical roots.
People
Renly + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Renly as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Renly: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Renly?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 588 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Renly going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 582,916 US residents.
Is Renly a common name?
We classify Renly as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 592 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Renly most popular?
The single biggest year for Renly was 2018, when 102 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Renly is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Renly in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Renly a male name?
Yes, 69.4% of people registered as Renly in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Renly still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Renly in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Renly can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Renly?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.