Head to head · Boys' names
Reese vs Rhodes
#602 vs #575 in 2025
Rhodes is ahead (#575 vs #602 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Rhodes is climbing the charts fast, Reese is back after a long quiet spell.
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
The tape is even: Reese and Rhodes each lead 3 measures of 6.
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: Reese #670, Rhodes — — Reese higher
- 1890s: Reese #686, Rhodes — — Reese higher
- 1900s: Reese #818, Rhodes — — Reese higher
- 1910s: Reese #878, Rhodes #3035 — Reese higher
- 1920s: Reese #967, Rhodes #3584 — Reese higher
- 1930s: Reese #1110, Rhodes #3419 — Reese higher
- 1940s: Reese #1095, Rhodes #3317 — Reese higher
- 1950s: Reese #1052, Rhodes #3364 — Reese higher
- 1960s: Reese #1030, Rhodes #4065 — Reese higher
- 1970s: Reese #1249, Rhodes #3836 — Reese higher
- 1980s: Reese #1133, Rhodes — — Reese higher
- 1990s: Reese #733, Rhodes #7573 — Reese higher
- 2000s: Reese #418, Rhodes #6705 — Reese higher
- 2010s: Reese #631, Rhodes #2744 — Reese higher
- 2020s: Reese #655, Rhodes #875 — Reese higher
Reese stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Reese | Rhodes |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #670 | — |
| 1890s | #686 | — |
| 1900s | #818 | — |
| 1910s | #878 | #3035 |
| 1920s | #967 | #3584 |
| 1930s | #1110 | #3419 |
| 1940s | #1095 | #3317 |
| 1950s | #1052 | #3364 |
| 1960s | #1030 | #4065 |
| 1970s | #1249 | #3836 |
| 1980s | #1133 | — |
| 1990s | #733 | #7573 |
| 2000s | #418 | #6705 |
| 2010s | #631 | #2744 |
| 2020s | #655 | #875 |
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
Reese
Ardor, enthusiasm; fiery zeal
The Welsh root rhys is usually glossed as ardor or enthusiasm, and often rendered in name books as "fiery" or "ardent".
Rhys → Rees → Reese
How it traveled
The name begins in Wales as Rhys, borne by princes of the medieval Welsh kingdoms and common enough among ordinary Welsh families that it hardened into surnames — Rees, Reese, Rice, and Preece, from ap Rhys, "son of Rhys". Those surnames crossed the Atlantic with Welsh emigrants and settled into American records, where Reese became the usual spelling.
Rhodes
Either "clearing in the woodland" or a reference to the Greek island of Rhodes
Two roads lead to the same spelling. The English surname comes from Middle English rode, a clearing made in woodland — the same root behind Rhoades, Rhoads and the northern English Royd names. The other is the Aegean island of Rhodes, whose Greek name Rhodos was linked by ancient writers to rhodon, "rose," though its actual origin has never been settled. The Rh- spelling of the English surname was pulled toward the classical form by scribes who knew their Greek geography.
Old English rod (clearing) → Middle English rode, atte Rode → Rodes → Rhodes
How it traveled
As a surname, Rhodes was a locative name: it identified a family by where they lived, at the clearing, in the same way Brooks, Fields and Woods did. It is recorded across England, with a particular concentration in the north, where the related Royd names cluster.
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
Reese
REESS
One syllable, rhyming with peace. The final sound is a hissed s, not a z; the same pronunciation covers Reece, Rees and Welsh Rhys.
- Reesie — Affectionate home form, mostly used with young children.
- Ree — Informal clipping; rare, since the full name is already one syllable.
- Rhys — Not a nickname but the Welsh original — some families use it as the formal written form.
Rhodes
ROHDZ
One syllable, exactly like the word "roads." The h is silent and does nothing to the sound.
- Rhodey — The most natural informal stretch of a name that otherwise resists shortening; also spelled Rhody.
- Rho — A clipped, informal form used mainly within families; identical in sound to the Greek letter.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Reese if you want…
- a name fewer children share#602 in 2025 — reese will almost certainly be the only one in school
- a long American recordReese was already in use when US records began in 1880
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 30% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 60% for Rhodes
Choose Rhodes if you want…
- a name most people already know#575 in 2025, 511 babies that year
- a name on the way upup 814 places on the charts in five years
- a newer arrivalRhodes entered the US charts in 1915
- a name that feels very nowRhodes is climbing the charts fast
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
Reese
Strengths
- One syllable, one clear sound — easy to say, easy to hear across a playground, and it needs no shortening.
- Instantly familiar to Americans as a word and a surname, so it is read correctly on sight even by people meeting it for the first time.
- A documented line back to medieval Welsh Rhys, which gives it real depth for families with Welsh roots.
To consider
- In the US, Reese is also the name of a very well-known peanut butter candy, spelled identically. Most children shrug it off, but expect the joke at some point.
- Four spellings compete — Reese, Reece, Rees, Rhys — so the name will often be spelled back to you wrong even when it is heard right.
- Most American Reeses are girls, so a boy called Reese may be assumed female on paperwork and rosters, even though the boys' line is the older one.
Rhodes
Strengths
- One syllable with a clean consonant ending — it sits easily in front of longer middle and last names.
- Already familiar to English speakers as a surname and a place name, so nobody has to be taught how to say it.
- Fits the established surname-name pattern alongside Brooks, Banks and Hayes, without being one of the ones you hear constantly.
To consider
- It is a perfect homophone of "roads," which means the h has to be spelled out most times the name is written down by someone else. Rhoades and Rhoads are common surname spellings that people may default to.
- Cecil Rhodes, the British colonialist, is the most prominent historical bearer of the surname, and the Rhodes Scholarship and the campus debates over his legacy keep the association in circulation. Some families will find that matters; others will not.
- The name's use as a first name is genuinely recent, so a child called Rhodes is unlikely to meet another one, and also unlikely to meet an adult who shares it. That is a fair trade to weigh either way.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Reese
30%chance Reese feels dated by 2040
Reese is on its second act. Revived names age gently: the generation that wore them first is far enough away that the name feels classic rather than dated.
Rhodes
60%chance Rhodes feels dated by 2040
Rhodes is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
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 Reese and Rhodes 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
Still torn between Reese and Rhodes?
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
- Names ranked #601–1000: known, but barely shared
- Names from legendary places
- all guides
Where Reese and Rhodes each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Reese or Rhodes — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Reese or Rhodes?
- Rhodes, in 2025: Rhodes ranked #575 with 511 babies; Reese ranked #602 with 475 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Reese or Rhodes?
- Rhodes. Over the last five years Reese moved up 128 places; Rhodes moved up 814 places.
- Which is the older name, Reese or Rhodes?
- Reese was already in use when US records began in 1880; Rhodes entered the US charts in 1915. On the American record, Reese is the older name.
- How many people are named Reese and Rhodes?
- About 17,500 people named Reese are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 2,600 people named Rhodes are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Reeses or Rhodess in the classroom?
- Reese will almost certainly be the only one in school. Rhodes 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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