| Reese | Rhiannon | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Ardour, enthusiasm | great queen |
| Origin | Welsh | welsh |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | REESS | ree-AN-un |
| Syllables | 1 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1924 | 1974 |
| Peak year | 2012 (2,459) | 1999 (651) |
| In 2025 | 1,631 | 210 |
| Trend | Declining | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Reese | Rhiannon |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 10,386 | 1,245 |
| 2010s | 20,182 | 1,444 |
| 2000s | 13,824 | 4,075 |
| 1990s | 372 | 3,833 |
| 1980s | 0 | 3,276 |
| 1970s | 0 | 1,666 |
| 1950s | 5 | 0 |
| 1920s | 6 | 0 |
From the Welsh Rhys, “ardour” or “enthusiasm.”
Thought to derive from the reconstructed Celtic 'Rigantona', meaning 'great queen' (from the root 'rigani', queen). A figure of sovereignty in the Welsh Mabinogi. The reconstruction is scholarly, so the 'great queen' sense is widely accepted but not attested directly.
Reese is more popular than Rhiannon today: about 1,631 US babies were given the name Reese in 2025, compared with 210 named Rhiannon.
Reese means Ardour, enthusiasm (Welsh origin), while Rhiannon means great queen (welsh origin).
In US records, Reese first appears in 1924 and Rhiannon in 1974, so Reese has the longer recorded history.