unisex name · in the US
Reece
REESS (English)
- Origin Welsh
- Gender Unisex (US)
- Syllables 1
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 58,998
the United States
#460
2025 births
Reece means ardor, and its England and Wales peak of 1,828 in 1996 is far larger than anything the United States has recorded — a Welsh name that reached America late and never matched its home scale.
- Reece is a name of Welsh origin.
- Peaked in 2005, when 998 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 3,780 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Reece Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 61 |
| 1890s | 26 |
| 1900s | 60 |
| 1910s | 305 |
| 1920s | 433 |
| 1930s | 341 |
| 1940s | 275 |
| 1950s | 268 |
| 1960s | 270 |
| 1970s | 284 |
| 1980s | 785 |
| 1990s | 3,078 |
| 2000s | 9,184 |
| 2010s | 7,057 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,490 |
What Reece Means
Reece means ardor, enthusiasm or fieriness. The Welsh names a quality of temperament directly, describing heat of feeling rather than a physical trait. The Welsh names heat of feeling directly.
Where Reece Comes From
Reece anglicizes the Welsh Rhys, generally read as ardor or fieriness. Rhys ap Gruffydd, the twelfth-century ruler of Deheubarth known as the Lord Rhys, held the first recorded eisteddfod at Cardigan in 1176. The surname Rice descends from the same name, and Price is ap Rhys, son of Rhys — the p being the worn-down remains of that ap, exactly as in Powell and Pritchard.
Reece in Use
Reece peaked in England and Wales in 1996, when 1,828 babies were registered, and it is stable rather than falling. It now ranks 254th in Scotland on 16 births, 416th in Ireland on 9, 450th in Northern Ireland, 460th in the United States on 877 and 623rd in England and Wales on 60, across 58,998 lifetime births in six markets. About 9 percent of recorded births are female.
How Popular Is Reece?
In 2025, Reece was given to 877 babies in the United States, ranking #460 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
Where Reece Is Used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names That Peaked Alongside Reece
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Reece Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Reece over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Boys' or Girls' Name?
Reece is used differently depending on where you are. Each figure is the share of babies given the name who were girls, over the last ten years of that country's records.
- United States Both 22% girls · 6,984 babies
- England & Wales Boys' 0% girls · 1,315 babies
- Canada Both 20% girls · 493 babies
- Scotland Boys' 0% girls · 240 babies
- Ireland Boys' 0% girls · 203 babies
- Northern Ireland Boys' 0% girls · 99 babies
How to Say Reece
- English REESS /riːs/
Reece in Other Languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Welsh
- Rhys
Sibling Names for Reece
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Reece — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Reece
What does the name Reece mean?
Ardor or fieriness — the Welsh Rhys.
Is Price related?
Yes — Price is ap Rhys, son of Rhys, with the ap worn down to a p.
Who was the Lord Rhys?
Rhys ap Gruffydd, who held the first recorded eisteddfod at Cardigan in 1176.
Where is Reece most used?
Scotland at 254th, and it peaked in England and Wales rather than America.
How popular is the name Reece?
In 2025, Reece was given to 877 babies in the United States, ranking #460 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
Is Reece a girl's or a boy's name?
Reece is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Reece?
Reece has 1 syllable.
When was Reece most popular?
Reece peaked in 2005, when 998 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
Is Reece a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Reece currently ranks #254 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.