The baby name Reese combines Welsh heritage with Hollywood style.
Thanks to National Peanut Butter and Chocolate Day for our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME REESE MEAN?
Let’s begin with the most obvious backstory for the baby name Reese. It’s of Welsh origin, from the word ris, meaning enthusiasm, passion, or ardor.
It features in Welsh history, with figures like the 12th century Rhys ap Gruffydd battling the Norman invaders.
Welsh surnames are typically patronymics. Rhys ap Gruffydd means Rhys, son of Gruffydd. In fact, one of Rhys’ sons was Rhys ap Rhys. (Though he’s often called Rhys Ferchan – Rhys the Younger.)
Rhys was a common given name. No surprise then, that it also became a common surname. Rice, Rees, Reese, Preece, and Price all, ultimately, share the same roots.
Or not. It’s also possible the surname comes from:
- The Middle English ris, meaning thicket
- Places named for a thicket, like Rise in Yorkshire
- In French, to laugh is rire, and in Anglo-Norman French, ris meant laughter, so it might’ve been a nickname for a happy person
Any short surname with familiar sounds can have other meanings and origins:
- It might be a re-spelling of the German Reis, which has multiple possible origins. One is a place name: Rees, in Rhineland, comes from an older dialect and means “willow grove.”
- The Dutch De Reese could come from a word meaning giant.
- And Rice is, of course, the word rice, so it might’ve been given to a cook or merchant who sold food.
It’s all quite tangled, but the baby name Reese was a first name that became a surname and, at the same time, remained a familiar first.
RHYS, REESE, REECE
Let’s talk about spelling.
If your goal is to emphasize your family’s roots in Wales, chances are that you’d spell the name Rhys – and use it for a son. It’s been a Top 500 name for boys in the US since 2010, and is slowly gaining in use.
Rhys remains familiar in England and Wales, and much of the English-speaking world.
And yet, Rhys looks different. Possibly even creative. We’ve Anglicized it as Reese and Reece for generations.
Both of the EE spellings rank in the boys’ Top 1000.
But Reese is more common as a feminine name now.
PEANUT BUTTER & CHOCOLATE
Or maybe the name is most common in the candy aisle.
Back in 1928, Harry Burnett Reese created peanut butter and chocolate Penny Cups. The name reflected their intended price: just one cent each.
He’s a fascinating figure. Born in Pennsylvania to a family of dairy farmers of English and Welsh descent, Reese played the French horn with local bands, raised frogs for Baltimore restaurants, and worked as a shipping manager for Milton S. Hershey.
The entrepreneur founded the H.B. Reese Candy Company in 1923. The cup is the only remaining product. Harry’s sons mergeed the company with Hershey in the 1960s. That’s around the same time the chocolate and peanut butter confection became one of the best-selling candies in the country.
The Penny Cups became a massive, global brand.
ACTRESS REESE WITHERSPOON
There’s one version of this story where Reese and Reece remain sometimes-heard choices for boys, inspired by a mother’s maiden name. That describes their use for generations, with both spellings occasionally ranking in the US Top 1000 from the list’s 1880 debut.
Then along came American actress Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon. (Reese is her mom’s maiden name.) Laura had dropped her given name in favor of her two surnames by the time she made her acting debut in 1991’s The Man in the Moon.
Her career accelerated with 1999’s Cruel Intentions and Election. Movies like Legally Blonde in 2001 made her a household name. Among her many accolades is an Academy Award for Best Actress in 2006’s Walk the Line.
Beyond acting, she’s advocated for Save the Children, founded a clothing company, and influenced what we’re reading through Reese’s Book Club.
No surprise that Witherspoon also influenced what we named our daughters.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME REESE?
A steady number of baby boys have been named Reese (and Reece) for generations. In most cases, it probably reflects a family surname handed down as a first name.
Parents sometimes gave their daughters family surnames as firsts, but not as often.
Instead, the baby name Reese consistently appears in the popularity data for baby girls beginning in 1992 – one year after Witherspoon’s big screen debut.
In terms of gender, Reese is most likely to be a girl, while Rhys is almost exclusively for boys. Reece is most common for boys, too.
Despite the actress’ global appeal, English-speaking countries outside the US typically use the name exclusively for boys.
In fact, the spelling Reese is uncommon in England and Wales. In the United Kingdom, you’re far more likely to find Rhys or Reece.
As of 2024, the baby name Reese ranks #190 for girls, down a bit from a peak of #128 in 2012. It’s still very popular indeed.
For boys, Reese ranks #620 as of 2024, with Reece at #455 and Rhys at #354.
GENDER-NEUTRAL FAVORITE
In many ways, the success of the baby name Reese reflects the popularity of one-syllable names like Quinn and Blair.
Actresses like Blake Lively and Drew Barrymore have also boosted their names to become unisex favorites.
In another generation, that might’ve meant the baby name Reese became exclusively feminine, but that’s not our world anymore. Instead, Reese is most common for girls, but heard in steady numbers for boys, too, with some differences in spelling.
In many ways, Reese is gaining in visibility now. But instead of a Hollywood A-lister, it’s the WNBA’s fast-rising star Angel Reese. From her success on the court to the cover of Vogue, Reese is a household name, too. And she even inked a sponsorship deal with – of course! – Hershey, for a Reese’s candy collab.
All of this makes the baby name Reese a favorite for our children and especially a 21st century staple for our girls.
What do you think of the baby name Reese?
