Rhys

Meaning: Ardent, fiery
Origin: Welsh

Boy's name · #412 in the US (2025) · 2020s wave

Popularity over time

Rhys is near its high-water mark: it reached #353 in 2023 and still ranked #412 in 2025. About 14,000 boys have carried it since 1929.

Across the states

See where Rhys is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 42 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Rhys ranks in other countries and regions.

#179 in Ireland (2025) · #212 in N. Ireland (2025) · #278 in Scotland (2025) · #289 in Canada (2025) · #341 in New Zealand (2025) · #389 in England & Wales (2025) · #5,960 in France (2025) · #755 in Netherlands (2024) · #1,385 in Belgium (2024) · #2,226 in Sweden (2020) · #3,127 in Austria (2019) · #8,623 in Ecuador (2015) and 2 more.

Famous Rhyses

Rhys Ifans — Welsh actor (born 1967)
Rhys Darby — New Zealand actor and comedian (born 1974)
Rhys Williams — English footballer (born 2001)
Rhys Coiro — American actor (born 1979)
Rhys Wakefield — Australian actor (born 1988)

In stories & tradition

Rhys Williams — Fictional character of Torchwood
Rhys Ashworth — Fictional character from Hollyoaks
Rhys Lawson — Character from Australian soap opera "Neighbours"

What Rhyses become

Among 331 notable people named Rhys:

Sports figures appear 2.28× more often than among typical names — e.g. Rhys McClenaghan, Irish artistic gymnast (born 1999).

Spellings & nicknames

Together with its spelling variants Reece (#460) and Reese (#603), Rhys would rank around #189 with about 1,900 births last year — the newborns split about 40/35/25 across Rhys, Reece, and Reese.

Similar names: Reece · Lawson · Rio · Callen · Hayes · Reese

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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