Ria
Say it: REE-a/riːə/
GirlMeans usually a short form of Maria3 letters2 syllables
#325
in Ireland (2025)
#249 with spellings combined
17
babies in 2025
#227
best rank (2013)
365
babies since 1981
Up 67
10-year rank change
Ria through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (girls) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 17 | #249 |
| 2024 | 15 | #279 |
| 2023 | 15 | #263 |
| 2022 | 11 | #354 |
| 2021 | 14 | #301 |
| 2020 | 7 | #485 |
| 2019 | 13 | #322 |
| 2018 | 15 | #296 |
| 2017 | 15 | #301 |
| 2016 | 17 | #273 |
| 2015 | 15 | #316 |
| 2014 | 16 | #304 |
| 2013 | 24 | #227 |
| 2012 | 18 | #281 |
| 2011 | 18 | #285 |
| 2010 | 23 | #236 |
| 2009 | 11 | #412 |
| 2008 | 14 | #341 |
| 2007 | 14 | #307 |
| 2006 | 8 | #433 |
| 2005 | 14 | #263 |
| 2004 | 9 | #340 |
| 2003 | 4 | #559 |
| 2002 | 6 | #406 |
| 2001 | 3 | #606 |
| 2000 | 3 | #536 |
| 1999 | 6 | #356 |
| 1997 | 4 | #496 |
| 1996 | 3 | #534 |
| 1995 | 4 | #451 |
| 1984 | 5 | #414 |
| 1981 | 4 | #471 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0. Spellings with and without fadas are combined; the CSO only recorded fadas from 2018.
★ What does Ria mean?
Usually a short form of Maria
A short form of Maria, now used as a name in its own right.
Say it right
REEa
The story of Ria
Ria began as a short form of Maria, and it is used that way in several European languages. Maria is the Latin form of Mary. Ria is also an Indonesian name with a different meaning, joy, so the same short name has grown up in more than one place.
One Irish bearer was Ria Mooney, an actress and theatre director who worked at the Abbey Theatre in the mid-twentieth century.
The CSO did not record fadas before 2018, so the figures here combine Ria and Ría. The name first reached the list in 1981, with 4 girls. Its biggest year was 2013, when 24 girls were named Ria and it was number 227. In 2025, 17 girls got the name, 5 of them spelled Ría. It is doing well in Northern Ireland, where 2025 was its best year yet, at number 161.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Ria (English proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Ria (given name)
- CSO VSA60, Girls Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- NISRA, Baby Names in Northern Ireland
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Ria | 12 | 357 |
| Ría | 5 | 8 |
In Northern Ireland
#161 in 2025 with 11 babies. Best rank #161 (2025); 148 babies since 2000.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.