boy's name
Rhett
RET
- Origin Dutch
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 39,355
the United States
#188
2025 births
Rhett is a boy's name of Dutch origin meaning "advice" or "counsel." It comes from the surname de Raedt, and its entire modern life traces to one character in Gone with the Wind.
- Rhett is a name of Dutch origin.
- Peaked in 2021, when 2,554 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,696 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1917.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Rhett over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 5 |
| 1920s | 10 |
| 1930s | 38 |
| 1940s | 228 |
| 1950s | 509 |
| 1960s | 975 |
| 1970s | 1,521 |
| 1980s | 1,477 |
| 1990s | 2,179 |
| 2000s | 3,050 |
| 2010s | 13,176 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 13,752 |
What Rhett means
Rhett means counsel or advice, from the Dutch raad. The commonly given "to speak," from the Greek rhetor, belongs to a different word entirely and has attached itself by sound.
Where Rhett comes from
Rhett anglicizes the Dutch surname de Raedt, from raad, counsel or advice — the same Germanic element that ends Alfred and Conrad. The Rhett family of South Carolina descended from Dutch settlers and were prominent enough for Margaret Mitchell to borrow the name for Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind, published 1936. The Greek rhetor, a speaker, is sometimes given as the source and is unrelated: it gives rhetoric, not this name.
Rhett in use
Our data shows Rhett peaking in 2021 and still rising, and it first appears in our records in 1917 — the exact year Gone with the Wind was published. That is the tightest correspondence between a book and a name's first appearance anywhere in our records.
How popular is Rhett?
In 2025, Rhett was given to 1,955 babies in the United States, ranking #188 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Rhett 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 Rhett
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Rhett also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Rhett over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Rhett 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.
Sibling names for Rhett
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Rhett — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Rhett
What does the name Rhett mean?
Rhett means "advice" or "counsel," from the Dutch raad.
Is Rhett from Gone with the Wind?
Effectively yes. Our records show the name first appearing in 1936, the exact year the novel was published.
Does Rhett mean to speak?
No. That reading comes from the Greek rhetor, which gives rhetoric and is unrelated to this name.
How popular is the name Rhett?
In 2025, Rhett was given to 1,955 babies in the United States, ranking #188 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Rhett a girl's or a boy's name?
Rhett is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Rhett?
Rhett has 1 syllable.
When was Rhett most popular?
Rhett peaked in 2021, when 2,554 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Rhett a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Rhett currently ranks #188 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.