Given name & surname
Rees
“having great enthusiasm for life”
Rees is a variant of Reece. One Welsh interpretation is “having great enthusiasm for life.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Rees is a variant of Reece. One Welsh interpretation is “having great enthusiasm for life.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Welsh.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1914. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Rees through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,150
- 1,014 boys · 136 girls
- Most popular year
- 2006
- 44 babies
- 2025
- 14
- #6,368 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −13%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 14 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 6,368 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 21.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 36 in 2000. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,059 as a first name in 2020; 12,559 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Rees’s family of names
In English usage, Rees shares an earlier linguistic root with Rhys. Rees has a related form in Reece. Rees is an English adaptation of Rhys.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Rees
- Rees BowenAmerican politician (1809-1879)
- Rees Greenwoodassociation football playerborn 1996
- Rees G. RichardsPennsylvania Soldier, Ohio politician (1842–1917)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Rees, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Ries
“brushwood, twig”
>99% boys
Rohan
“a red-haired man” · “one who ascends”
99% boys · 1% girls
Vaughan
“little”
96% boys · 4% girls
Owain
“born of Esos”
>99% boys
Brice
“one who is alert; ambitious” · “one who is speckled”
97% boys · 3% girls
Yestin
“one who is just” · “one who is just and fair”
>99% boys
Cadell
“having the spirit of battle”
>99% boys
Ieuan
“God is gracious”
>99% boys