Rhea
Earth goddess in Greek mythology, mother of the major gods.
Name Census estimates that about 13,037 living Americans carry the first name Rhea. It is a predominantly female name (97.9% of registrations). The average person named Rhea today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rhea births was 2023 (577 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rhea. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Rhea with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Although Rhea is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 408 boys registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
13K
~ 1 in 26,291 Americans
Peak year
2023
577 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2004 SSA rank
#616
Tracked since 1882
Census
Rhea in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 12,668 people with the first name Rhea, which placed it at #2,119 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#2,119
National first-name rank
People counted
13K
12,668 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
4.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
49.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rhea
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Rhea is White at 49.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (29.7%) and Black (9.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Rhea described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Rhea at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.5% · 6,271
- Asian and Pacific Islander29.7% · 3,763
- Black or African American9.7% · 1,224
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 669
- Two or more races4.7% · 595
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 146
Gender
Gender distribution for Rhea
Rhea leans heavily female at 97.9% of total registrations, but 408 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Rhea as a male name
- Ranked #12,820 in 2004
- 5 male births in 2004
- Peak: 1920 (16 births)
Rhea as a female name
- Ranked #616 in 2024
- 484 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (577 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Rhea leans strongly female. 12,483 people counted with this name were female (98.5%), compared with 194 male bearers (1.5%).
Popularity
Rhea: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rhea from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 2,736 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rhea by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Rhea during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rheas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 44 states and territories. California, New York, Ohio recorded the most babies named Rhea, while South Dakota, District of Columbia, Arkansas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 282 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rhea
The name Rhea has its origins in ancient Greek mythology, stemming from the Greek word "rheo," which means "to flow." In Greek mythology, Rhea was the Titan goddess of fertility, motherhood, and generation, and the wife of Cronus. She was considered the mother of the Olympian gods, including Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, and Hestia.
The name Rhea first appeared in written records in the works of ancient Greek poets and writers such as Hesiod and Homer, who wrote about the mythological tales of the gods and goddesses. Rhea was a central figure in these stories, often depicted as a protective and nurturing mother who played a crucial role in the overthrow of her husband Cronus and the establishment of the Olympian gods' reign.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Rhea was in the 8th century BC, when it was given to a daughter of the Athenian statesman Pericles. Throughout ancient Greek history, the name was popular among the upper classes and was often associated with fertility, strength, and motherhood.
In Roman mythology, Rhea was known as Ops or Cybele, and her cult was widespread throughout the Roman Empire. The name gained popularity among the Romans, and several notable historical figures bore the name Rhea, including Rhea Silvia, the legendary mother of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome.
During the Renaissance period, the name Rhea experienced a resurgence in popularity, particularly among the intellectual and artistic circles of Europe. Notable figures with the name Rhea include:
1. Rhea Grivaud (1544-1619), a French writer and poet known for her work on the education of women.
2. Rhea Farnese (1630-1694), an Italian noblewoman and Duchess of Parma.
3. Rhea Geddes (1869-1915), a British artist and illustrator known for her contributions to children's literature.
In more recent times, the name Rhea has continued to be used, though with varying degrees of popularity. Some notable individuals with the name Rhea include:
1. Rhea Perlman (born 1948), an American actress best known for her role as Carla Tortelli on the sitcom "Cheers."
2. Rhea Seehorn (born 1972), an American actress known for her role as Kim Wexler on the TV series "Better Call Saul."
3. Rhea Kapoor (born 1987), an Indian film producer and fashion stylist.
4. Rhea Butcher (born 1977), an American stand-up comedian and actress.
5. Rhea Chakraborty (born 1992), an Indian actress and model.
The name Rhea has a rich history and cultural significance, rooted in ancient Greek mythology and associated with themes of fertility, motherhood, and strength. Its enduring use throughout history reflects the enduring appeal of its mythological origins and the powerful symbolism it carries.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Rhea
People
Rhea + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rhea as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Rhea: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rhea?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 13,037 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rhea going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 26,291 US residents.
Is Rhea a common name?
We classify Rhea as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 19,689 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rhea most popular?
The single biggest year for Rhea was 2023, when 577 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rhea is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Rhea in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 12,668 people with the name Rhea, or 4.19 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #2,119 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Rhea in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Rhea?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Rhea leans strongly female. 12,483 people counted with this name were female (98.5%), compared with 194 male bearers (1.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Rhea?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Rhea is White at 49.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (29.7%) and Black (9.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Rhea most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Rhea in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.5% (6,271 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Rhea in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rhea a female name?
Yes, 97.9% of people registered as Rhea in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Rhea still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rhea in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Rhea can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Rhea?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.