Head to head · Boys' names
Reece vs Rocco
#460 vs #459 in 2025
Rocco is a whisker ahead (#459 vs #460 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Rocco is holding its place on the charts, Reece is back after a long quiet spell. On momentum, Reece has the edge.
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, Rocco leads 4 measures of 6; Reece leads 2.
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
- 1880s: Reece #734, Rocco — — Reece higher
- 1890s: Reece #1029, Rocco #778 — Rocco higher
- 1900s: Reece #1063, Rocco #546 — Rocco higher
- 1910s: Reece #1037, Rocco #320 — Rocco higher
- 1920s: Reece #1074, Rocco #313 — Rocco higher
- 1930s: Reece #1147, Rocco #432 — Rocco higher
- 1940s: Reece #1346, Rocco #509 — Rocco higher
- 1950s: Reece #1493, Rocco #494 — Rocco higher
- 1960s: Reece #1545, Rocco #584 — Rocco higher
- 1970s: Reece #1812, Rocco #700 — Rocco higher
- 1980s: Reece #1213, Rocco #771 — Rocco higher
- 1990s: Reece #642, Rocco #1051 — Reece higher
- 2000s: Reece #388, Rocco #614 — Reece higher
- 2010s: Reece #534, Rocco #443 — Rocco higher
- 2020s: Reece #510, Rocco #496 — Rocco higher
Rocco stood higher in 12 of 15 decades; Rocco has held the lead since the 2010s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Reece | Rocco |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #734 | — |
| 1890s | #1029 | #778 |
| 1900s | #1063 | #546 |
| 1910s | #1037 | #320 |
| 1920s | #1074 | #313 |
| 1930s | #1147 | #432 |
| 1940s | #1346 | #509 |
| 1950s | #1493 | #494 |
| 1960s | #1545 | #584 |
| 1970s | #1812 | #700 |
| 1980s | #1213 | #771 |
| 1990s | #642 | #1051 |
| 2000s | #388 | #614 |
| 2010s | #534 | #443 |
| 2020s | #510 | #496 |
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
Reece
ardor, enthusiasm
The Welsh Rhys is standardly read as 'ardor' or 'enthusiasm'; older popular sources sometimes stretch this to 'fiery warrior', which is decoration rather than translation.
Ris → Rhys → Rees → Reece
How it traveled
The name begins in Wales as Rhys, recorded in Old Welsh as Ris and borne by princes of the medieval Welsh kingdoms. When Welsh names were written down by English-speaking clerks, the unfamiliar 'rh' was flattened, and the name became the surnames Rees, Reece and Rice — which is why so many families carry it today.
Rocco
Most likely Germanic: 'rest, repose' — though 'crow' is the serious rival
The name reaches us in Latin as Rochus, and scholars trace it to a Germanic root. One reading takes it from hrok, 'rest' or 'repose'; another from the same-sounding Germanic word for the crow or rook. Neither has won the argument, and no Latin or Greek source explains it away.
Hrok → Rochus → Roch → Rocco
How it traveled
The name belongs first to Saint Roch, born at Montpellier in the fourteenth century, who is remembered for tending plague victims in Italy and became one of the most widely venerated saints of the late Middle Ages — which is why the Latin Rochus produced a local form in nearly every Catholic language: Roch in French, Roque in Spanish and Portuguese, Rocco in Italian. Southern Italy took to him with particular force, and towns from Campania to Sicily still hold San Rocco feasts each August.
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
Reece
REESS
One syllable, rhyming with geese. The Welsh Rhys begins with a breathy, voiceless r — closer to 'hreess' — but Reece is said the plain English way everywhere it is used.
- Reecey — Informal and mostly used within the family; rarely written down.
- Ree — An informal clipping, more often heard for girls than boys.
- Rhys — Used by some families as the Welsh formal spelling alongside the everyday Reece.
Rocco
ROCK-oh
The double c before o is a hard k sound, held slightly longer in Italian than English speakers usually give it. Stress falls on the first syllable in both languages.
- Rocky — The standard English short form, and a long-established given name in its own right.
- Roc — A clipped written form, mostly informal and mostly in signatures and texts.
- Rock — Informal, used more by adults than in childhood.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Reece if you want…
- a name on the way upup 128 places on the charts in five years
- a name with fewer syllablesReece is 1 syllable to Rocco's 2
- a long American recordReece was already in use when US records began in 1880
Choose Rocco if you want…
- a name holding steadyRocco is holding its place on the charts
- a name with more sound in itRocco runs 2 syllables, Reece 1
- a newer arrivalRocco entered the US charts in 1891
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
Reece
Strengths
- One syllable, one obvious pronunciation: almost no one will need to be told twice how to say it.
- A documented line back to medieval Wales, where Rhys is still a living name.
- Works as a given name and reads naturally as a surname, so it sits easily in either slot.
To consider
- Four spellings compete for the same sound — Reece, Reese, Rees and Welsh Rhys. Expect to spell it aloud often, and expect Reese in particular to turn up on mail and forms.
- In the United States, Reese is the spelling most associated with girls; a girl called Reece will often be handed the other one by default.
- The Reese's candy brand is close enough in sound that American children will hear the joke at some point. It tends to be brief and cheerful rather than cruel.
Rocco
Strengths
- Spelled the way it sounds for an English speaker, and short enough to be read correctly on the first try.
- On US records continuously since the late nineteenth century, without a gap or a revival — a long, unbroken line.
- Has an established short form in Rocky that also stands alone as a name.
To consider
- Rocky is close at hand for anyone who wants it, and it comes with strong boxing-movie associations. That may be exactly the nickname you like, or one you will spend years steering people away from.
- The name reads as distinctly Italian, which is part of its appeal for many families and a slight mismatch for others. It sits differently on a child with an Italian surname than on one without.
- It is not evenly spread across the country. In the Northeast the name is familiar and expected; elsewhere people will have heard it but may pause over the double c when writing it down.
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 Reece and Rocco in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
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Put both to the vote.
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Vintage names making a comeback
- Quiet perennials: a century old, never popular
- Borrowed from the girls: names boys are taking back
- Names ending in -ce
- all guides
Where Reece and Rocco each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Reece or Rocco — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Reece or Rocco?
- Rocco, in 2025: Rocco ranked #459 with 679 babies; Reece ranked #460 with 675 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Reece or Rocco?
- Reece. Over the last five years Reece moved up 128 places; Rocco moved up 32 places.
- Which is the older name, Reece or Rocco?
- Reece was already in use when US records began in 1880; Rocco entered the US charts in 1891. On the American record, Reece is the older name.
- How many people are named Reece and Rocco?
- About 20,000 people named Reece are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 22,500 people named Rocco are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Reeces or Roccos in the classroom?
- Reece will almost certainly be the only one in school. Rocco 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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