| Rhiannon | Carys | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | great queen | Love |
| Origin | welsh | welsh |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | ree-AN-un | KA-ris |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1974 | 1991 |
| Peak year | 1999 (651) | 2006 (196) |
| In 2025 | 210 | 32 |
| Trend | Steady | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Rhiannon | Carys |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,245 | 189 |
| 2010s | 1,444 | 933 |
| 2000s | 4,075 | 1,123 |
| 1990s | 3,833 | 82 |
| 1980s | 3,276 | 0 |
| 1970s | 1,666 | 0 |
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.
A modern Welsh name formed from the stem of the verb caru 'to love' (compare car 'beloved friend', cariad 'love'). A genuine Welsh 'love' root; the variant Cerys is read the same way.
Rhiannon is more popular than Carys today: about 210 US babies were given the name Rhiannon in 2025, compared with 32 named Carys.
Rhiannon means great queen (welsh origin), while Carys means Love (welsh origin).
In US records, Rhiannon first appears in 1974 and Carys in 1991, so Rhiannon has the longer recorded history.