Rhys
Feminine · “ardor”
Rhys is given to both — 887 girls and 14,334 boys since 1880. See Rhys as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Rhys is one of the great Welsh names — it means ardor or enthusiasm, and it belonged to the ruler who held south Wales against the Normans for thirty years.
How old is the name Rhys?
Rhys first appears in US birth records in 1994 — 31 years ago. The typical Rhys is a kid of about 11 — this name's wave is very recent. About 900 people named Rhys are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Rhys most popular?
Rhys peaked in 2022, reaching #2756 nationally. Today it ranks #3832, 1,076 places below that high. See the whole 2022 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Ris to Rhys
The story of Rhys
Rhys ap Gruffydd, called the Lord Rhys, ruled Deheubarth in the twelfth century and held it against Norman pressure, and he hosted the gathering at Cardigan in 1176 that is counted as the first eisteddfod. The name has been in continuous Welsh use since. It is a men's name in Wales; the small American use for girls is recent and follows the general drift of short surnames-as-names.
Meaning
ardor, enthusiasm
From a Welsh word meaning ardor or fiery zeal; the same name gives the surnames Rees, Reece and Price, the last from ap Rhys, son of Rhys, with the p absorbed.
How the name formed
- Ris
- Rhys
Related forms: Rhys · Reece · Price
Pronouncing Rhys
REESE
One syllable; the Welsh rh is a breathed r that English does not have.
Nicknames for Rhys
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
- 1994
- Most girls named
- 202262 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2756reached in 2022
- Change vs 2024
- −11.6%38 in 2025, from 43
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.
Rhys in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Rhys in Welsh — same name
- Reece in English — spelling variant
- Price in English — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Pennsylvania, Texas.
Rhyss among us
people named Rhys are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 42,297 born in 2025 was named Rhys
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Lania test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Rhys's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Lania climbed just as high around 2005, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Lania's path sketches the road Rhys is walking now.
Rhys sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Rhys is headed
Rhys should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind. Its history is short or jumpy, though, so read this as a sketch rather than a promise.
Low 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.
Rhys beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Rhys in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A settled Welsh meaning and a documented historical bearer of real consequence.
- Four letters and one syllable — as short as a name gets.
- Very well used in Wales, so it has a real community behind it.
- The spelling gives American readers no help at all with the sound.
- It is a men's name in Wales, and Welsh speakers will read it that way.
- Reese and Reece are the spellings most Americans expect for a girl.
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What they receive
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Rhys
Feminine · #3832 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Rhyss are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 900 people named Rhys are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Rhys in 2025?
- Rhys ranks #3832 among US girl names in 2025, with 38 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Rhys?
- About 1 in every 42,297 US girls born in 2025 was named Rhys — 38 in all.
- Will my child share the name Rhys with classmates?
- Rhys will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Rhys
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Nohemi#3832 · Yadira#3832 · Quincey#3832 · Yohanna#3832 · Aurielle#3832 · Anslee#3832 · Anagha#3832 · Corrine#3832
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Rhys? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Rhys and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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