Reese: Name Meaning, Origin, Popularity, & Inspiration

Girl name origins & meanings

Welsh : Enthusiastic

What does Reese mean and stand for?

The name Reese is of Welsh origin and means "enthusiastic" or "ardent". It is the anglicized form of Rhys, and can also be considered the feminine form of the word despite the fact that it was a male name first.

Syllables: 1

Girl name variations

Boy name origins & meanings

Welsh : Ardent one

Boy name variations

Family name origins & meanings

Welsh : from one of the most common Welsh personal names, Rhys, Old Welsh Rīs ‘ardor’. This was the name of the last ruler of an independent kingdom of Wales, Rhys ap Tewder, who died in 1093 unsuccessfully opposing the Norman advance.
North German and Dutch : nickname for a very big man, from Middle Low German, Middle Dutch rese ‘giant’.
German : habitational name from places called Rees or Reese, in Rhineland and Lower Saxony.

Famous people with this first name

Reese Witherspoon

Popularity

According to Social Security Administration data, Reese is all over the charts, moving both up and down, but generally staying in the top 200. Reese enjoyed a stint in the top 150 from 2009 to 2012, and has just re-entered it again in 2020.

However, it is the 8th most popular name on FamilyEducation.com.

According to Google search data analysis, in the last five years Reese was at its peak popularity in November 2017.

Reese was formally a predominantly male name, until Oscar-winning Reese Witherspoon (born Laura Jeanne) launched it as a girls' name. The name also invokes images of the famous peanut butter chocolate: Reese's. It has also become a popular name for celebrity children, having been chosen by NFL player Robert Griffin III, actress Andrea Roth and Todd Biermann, and J.P. Rosenbaum.