Reece
Masculine · “ardor”
Reece is given to both — 21,968 boys and 4,949 girls since 1880. See Reece as a girl nameSee other names given to both
One syllable, ending in a clean hiss — Reece is the English spelling of the Welsh Rhys, a name carried by rulers in medieval Wales and still worn there today. It traveled the ordinary route: from a first name into a family name, Rees and Reece and Rice, then back out of the family name and onto children again. It has been familiar in American records for well over a century without ever crowding a classroom.
How old is the name Reece?
Reece was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Reece alive today was born around 2005, making them about 20 years old. About 20,000 people named Reece are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Reece most popular?
Reece peaked in 2001, reaching #344 nationally. Today it ranks #460, 116 places below that high. See the whole 2001 chart.
Where it comes from
From Ris to Reece
The story of Reece
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. From there it made the usual return journey, back into use as a given name in a spelling English speakers could read at a glance. In the United States, Reece reaches boys along that Welsh road, while the closely related Reese spelling — read as a surname rather than a Welsh first name — is the one that has carried the name to girls in any number.
Meaning
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.
How the name formed
- Ris
- Rhys
- Rees
- Reece
Related forms: Rhys · Reese · Rees · Rice · Rhysian
Pronouncing 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.
Nicknames for Reece
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 2005780 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #344reached in 2001
- Change vs 2022
- +19.9%675 in 2025, from 563
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Reece in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Rhys in Welsh — same name
- Reese in English — spelling variant
- Rees in English — spelling variant
- Rice in English — related form
- Rhysian in Welsh — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, Florida.
Reeces among us
people named Reece are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 2,530 born in 2025 was named Reece
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Spellings of Reece
- #460
- Reece on the 2025 chart
- #286
- counting every spelling
The SSA counts spellings, not names. Reece went to 675 boys in 2025, but Reese and Rece are the same name said out loud. Together the 3 spellings went to 1,159, which makes it the 286th most-given boys’ name of the year — 174 places above the chart.
About 1 boy in 1,474 born in 2025 was given one of these spellings — against 1 in 2,530 for Reece itself.
Spellings are grouped by a fixed rule that folds interchangeable English spellings of one sound (ck/k, ph/f, x/ks, a non-initial y for i) and keeps vowels apart, so Sean and Shawn stay separate names. It errs towards splitting: a family here is never larger than the truth. SSA national data, 2025. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Rod test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Reece's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Rod climbed just as high around 1965, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Rod's path sketches the road Reece is walking now.
Reece 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.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Reece is headed
Reece looks set to keep climbing gently, with roughly 19% more babies a year by 2030 if the current curve holds.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Reece beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Reece in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- 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.
- Common enough to be recognized on sight, uncommon enough that sharing a classroom with another is unlikely.
- 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.
- There is no real nickname built into it, which suits some families and leaves others without a shorter option.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Reece
Masculine · #460 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Reeces are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 20,000 people named Reece are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How do you spell Reece?
- Reece is the most-used spelling in US records — 675 of the 1,159 babies given the name in 2025. The others recorded are Reese and Rece.
- How popular is the name Reece in 2025?
- Reece ranks #460 among US boy names in 2025, with 675 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Reece?
- About 1 in every 2,530 US boys born in 2025 was named Reece — 675 in all.
- Will my child share the name Reece with classmates?
- Reece will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Reece
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Rocco#459 · Esteban#461 · Lucian#462 · Mack#463 · Jake#457 · Johnny#457 · Soren#464 · Pedro#455
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Reece? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Reece and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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