Ridley is an English surname and place name from the Old English hreod and leah, meaning "reed clearing", or from ryddan, "cleared wood". The director Ridley Scott and the actress Daisy Ridley, who played Rey in Star Wars, have given it a modern, cinematic air, and it joins the -ley surname names like Hadley and Presley that American parents favor for girls. In the United States Ridley peaked at number 1684 in 2018 among girls and ranks number 2013 in 2025.