Rhys

Rhys: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“ardor, enthusiasm”
Origin
Welsh
Say it
REES · 1 syllable
Used for
Boys (94% of all uses)

Traditional Welsh name borne by medieval rulers of Deheubarth. Reese is a common anglicized form.

How popular is Rhys?

2024297 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Rhys in 2024989

2024 rank#354 boys

Peak year2023

Total US babies since 188014,396

Rhys is rising: use over the last five years is 1.6× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Rhys

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Reeceardor · Welsh
  • Dylanson of the sea · Welsh
  • Owenwell-born; young warrior · Welsh
  • Evanthe Lord is gracious · Welsh
  • Reeseardor, enthusiasm · Welsh
  • Maddoxson of Madoc · Welsh
  • Ellisbenevolent · Welsh
  • Griffinstrong lord · Welsh

Rhys questions

What does the name Rhys mean?

Rhys means "ardor, enthusiasm". It comes from Welsh. Traditional Welsh name borne by medieval rulers of Deheubarth. Reese is a common anglicized form.

Is Rhys a boy or girl name?

Rhys is mainly a boy's name in US records (94% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Rhys?

989 US babies were named Rhys in 2024. Its peak year was 2023.

How do you pronounce Rhys?

Rhys is usually pronounced REES.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.