The name Rhys is a girl's name of Welsh origin meaning "ardor".

Welsh Names

Welsh Names for Girls

4 Letter Girl Names

UK Baby Names

UK Girl Names

Names Ending in S for Girls

Names That Mean Ardor

One Syllable Names for Girls

Welsh Names that Start With R

The Reddest and Bluest Baby Names

100 Most Common Last Names in the US

Welsh Names Celebrate St David’s Day

One-Syllable Middle Names

March Baby Names Let The Sunshine In!

Less than ten percent of the babies named Rhys are girls, whereas Reese is given five times more often to girls than to boys, thanks to Ms. Witherspoon.  It's a sleek and attractive name, but one that benefits from two accepted spellings that help clarify its gender identity.

Reverie, Caprice, and Sileo

Middle name

Geezer Names for Girls

Rhys

Welsh

The name Rhys peaked for girls at #2780 in 2022. The name is most popular in RHYS, RHYS, and RHYS. Rhys is also used for boys, ranking #412 in 2025.

Reese

The name Rhys is a boy's name of Welsh origin meaning "ardor".

Welsh Names for Boys

4 Letter Boy Names

UK Boy Names

Names Ending in S for Boys

Names that Peaked in 2018

One Syllable Names for Boys

Names that Peaked in 2019

Names that Peaked in 2021

Boy Dog Names That Start With R

Dog Names That Start With R

Names that Peaked in 2023

Rugged but gentle, Rhys is the traditional Welsh spelling of this name, which can also be anglicized as Reese or Reece. Up until 2010, Reese was the preferred spelling in the US, perhaps because parents were concerned about mispronunciation. However, Rhys has since taken over for boys and is now used twice as often as Reese.
 
Always widespread in Wales, where it has deep historic roots and was borne by a number of early rulers, Rhys is also familiar across the rest of the UK, though less now so than it was in the 90s and 2000s. In the US, it didn't enter the Top 1000 until 2004, possibly influenced by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, of The Tudors, and Welsh-born actor Rhys Ifans.
 Former New Kid on the Block Joey McIntyre named his son Rhys Edward in 2009, while comedian and actor Rhys Darby is another bearer.

City Dog Names

Preppy Baby Names

Favorite Names on Nameberry

Literary Baby Names

Boy Names Like Finn

February Baby Names

Handsome Boy Names

Baby Boy Names 2021

Boy Names Like James

Boy Names Like Henry

Boy Names Like Jack

Boy Names Like Dylan

Best Baby Names with No Nicknames

Romantasy Names

Corgi Names

Cool Cat Names

Names to Substitute for Reed

Celebrity Baby Names

Boy Names That Peaked in 2018

Middle Names for Baby Girls and Boys

Cool Dog Names

Australian Shepherd Names

Hot Names That Mean Fire

Classic Celebrity Baby Names

Literary Dog Names

Dog Names

Literary Cat Names

Boy Names Like Carter

British Boy Names

Cool Middle Names

Names That are Uniquely Popular in Wales

Celebrity Baby Boy Names

Boy Names That End in S

Middle Names for Boys (with Meanings and Popularity)

Names That Mean Love

Badass Boy Dog Names

Valentine's Day Baby Names

Names With Lots of Spellings

Literary Baby Names Inspired by Authors

Nameberry

Future

England

The name Rhys is currently ranked #412 in U.S. births. and peaked for boys at #353 in 2023. The name is most popular in RHYS, RHYS, and RHYS. Rhys is occasionally used for girls in 2025.

Reece

Rhett

Year	US rank	Births	Per million
2014	#4,748	30	16.8
2015	—	0	0
2016	—	0	0
2017	#4,670	30	17.4
2018	#4,538	31	18.2
2019	#3,986	37	22
2020	#3,827	38	23.5
2021	#3,028	55	33.5
2022	#2,780	62	37.8
2023	#2,813	61	38
2024	#3,622	43	26.5
2025	#3,892	38	23.6

Rhys

About Rhys

Popularity & trends

Similar names

Famous Rhyss

Rhys in blog posts

Community discussions

Rhys on more lists

Advanced Search

Save Rhys