Head to head · Boys' names
Koda vs Rhys
#410 vs #410 in 2025
Koda and Rhys share the same spot on the 2025 charts (#410). The records cannot split them; sound and story will.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Rhys leads 3 measures of 6; Koda leads 1.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1920s: Koda —, Rhys #2980 — Rhys higher
- 1940s: Koda —, Rhys #3127 — Rhys higher
- 1950s: Koda —, Rhys #2667 — Rhys higher
- 1960s: Koda —, Rhys #2598 — Rhys higher
- 1970s: Koda —, Rhys #3891 — Rhys higher
- 1980s: Koda #4664, Rhys #1931 — Rhys higher
- 1990s: Koda #6192, Rhys #1494 — Rhys higher
- 2000s: Koda #2764, Rhys #908 — Rhys higher
- 2010s: Koda #1082, Rhys #479 — Rhys higher
- 2020s: Koda #477, Rhys #395 — Rhys higher
Rhys stood higher in every recorded decade — 10 of 10.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Koda | Rhys |
|---|---|---|
| 1920s | — | #2980 |
| 1940s | — | #3127 |
| 1950s | — | #2667 |
| 1960s | — | #2598 |
| 1970s | — | #3891 |
| 1980s | #4664 | #1931 |
| 1990s | #6192 | #1494 |
| 2000s | #2764 | #908 |
| 2010s | #1082 | #479 |
| 2020s | #477 | #395 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Koda
friend, companion (Dakota); also a short form of Dakota
Two readings sit side by side and support each other. In the Dakota language, koda (also written khoda) means friend or companion. Separately, Koda works as a clipped form of the given name Dakota, itself from the name of the Dakota people. Which route a particular family took is usually a matter of that family's own story rather than linguistics.
Dakota → Koda
How it traveled
The word koda belongs to the Dakota language, where it means friend or companion, and it is recorded in nineteenth-century missionary dictionaries of Dakota alongside its relatives in Lakota. As an English given name, Koda arrived much later and by a second route: Dakota became a widely used American first name in the later twentieth century, and Koda followed it as a natural two-syllable clip.
Rhys
ardor, enthusiasm
The Old Welsh root is usually glossed as ardor or zeal; older reference books sometimes render it more loosely as "fiery" or "rashness", but they are describing the same word.
Ris → Rhys → Rees → Reece → Reese
How it traveled
Rhys comes from Old Welsh Ris and belongs to the oldest layer of Welsh personal names, the kind recorded in medieval genealogies and princely charters. Its most famous medieval bearer was Rhys ap Gruffydd, the Lord Rhys, who ruled Deheubarth in the twelfth century and held the earliest recorded eisteddfod at Cardigan.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Koda
KOH-duh
Two syllables, stress on the first, rhyming with soda. Spoken aloud it is often heard as Cody, so the K is worth saying clearly when spelling it out.
- Ko — An informal household clip; not used as a standalone given name in English.
- Kodie — An affectionate extension used by some families; note that Kody and Cody exist independently as their own names.
Rhys
REESS
Rhymes with peace, not with rice or rise. In Welsh the opening rh is a breathy, voiceless r, but English speakers say it as a plain r and no one in Wales minds.
- Reece — Not a shortening but the anglicized spelling; some families use it as the informal or written-out-for-strangers version.
- Rhysie — A family diminutive heard mainly with small children; rarely used outside the household.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Koda if you want…
- a name on the way upup 178 places on the charts in five years
- a name with more sound in itKoda runs 2 syllables, Rhys 1
Choose Rhys if you want…
- a name holding steadyRhys is holding its place on the charts
- a name with fewer syllablesRhys is 1 syllable to Koda's 2
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Koda
Strengths
- Two syllables and four letters, phonetic in English — most people get the pronunciation right on first sight.
- Already short, so it needs no nickname to work at home, on a roster, or in adulthood.
- Carries a documented meaning in the Dakota language, friend or companion, which is a rare thing for a modern short name.
To consider
- It will be heard as Cody, and written as Cody, fairly often. Expect a lifetime of spelling it out — a small tax, but a real one.
- Koda is a popular dog name in the United States, and someone will make that joke. It passes, but it is worth knowing before you commit.
- The Dakota-language meaning is real, and some families want to be sure they can speak about that origin respectfully rather than decoratively.
Rhys
Strengths
- One syllable, one clear sound — once someone has heard it, they can say it.
- The pronunciation is already familiar in the US through the Reese and Reece spellings, so the sound needs no explaining, only the letters.
- Documented in Wales since the early medieval period and continuously in use there ever since.
To consider
- The spelling gets misread on sight — "Rise" and "Riss" are the usual guesses — so he will spell it aloud fairly often. Most people only need telling once.
- Heard rather than seen, it can be taken for Reese, which in the US is given largely to girls. The Rhys spelling itself is used almost entirely for boys.
- There is essentially no short form. A one-syllable name gives nicknames nowhere to go, which suits some families and frustrates others.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Koda and Rhys in full.
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Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Koda and Rhys?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
Where Koda and Rhys each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Koda or Rhys — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Koda or Rhys?
- They tie in 2025: Koda ranked #410 with 778 babies; Rhys ranked #410 with 778 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Koda or Rhys?
- Koda. Over the last five years Koda moved up 178 places; Rhys moved up 8 places.
- Which is the older name, Koda or Rhys?
- Koda entered the US charts in 1984; Rhys entered the US charts in 1929. On the American record, Rhys is the older name.
- How many people are named Koda and Rhys?
- About 6,900 people named Koda are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 14,000 people named Rhys are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Kodas or Rhyss in the classroom?
- Koda will almost certainly be the only one in school. Rhys will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
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