Reece
A Welsh surname meaning “son of Rhys,” later Anglicized in spelling.
The #1,479 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 12,787 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Reece is an Anglicized spelling of the Welsh personal name Rhys. In origin, it is a patronymic surname tied to that given name rather than to a place or trade. The underlying Welsh name Rhys is commonly explained as meaning something like “ardor,” “fiery enthusiasm,” or “enthusiasm,” though the surname itself simply points back to the personal name.
History
Historical surname writers consistently grouped Reece with Rice, Rees, and Pryce as English spellings of Welsh Rhys-based names. The form appears in English records by the early modern period, especially in areas with strong Welsh connections such as the border counties and Oxford University registers. In modern usage it is found well beyond Wales, but it remains strongly associated with Welsh ancestry.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older genealogical writers often treated Reece and Rice as interchangeable spellings of the same Welsh family name.
From the historical record
“See Rea and Rye. REECE, an Anglicized form of Rhys, q.v. REED = Read, q.v. Hir mouth ful smal and ther to softe and r^erf.— Chaucer, Ca«/. Tales, A 153. REEDER = Reader, q.v. REEDY = Ready, q.v. REEK, a Scot. dim. of Rtckard, Richard, q.v.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)