2000
#121,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Rhys
An anglicized spelling of the Welsh surname referring to enthusiasm or ardor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 252 Americans carry the last name Rhys. That puts it at #90,184 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,360,136 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rhys surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Rhys with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
252
1 in 1,360,136
Census rank
#90,184
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
220
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 220 bearers of the surname Rhys in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 90184th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rhys, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.7%. The next largest groups are Black (18.6%) and Hispanic (8.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rhys
The surname Rhys originates from Wales, where it has been documented since the medieval period. It is a Welsh patronymic name derived from the personal name Rhys, which is believed to have originated from the Old Welsh name Res or Ris. This name is thought to be related to the Old Welsh word "rhi," meaning "ardor" or "enthusiasm."
The earliest known recorded instances of the surname Rhys can be found in medieval Welsh manuscripts and records dating back to the 13th century. One notable historical reference is the 14th-century Welsh chronicle "Brut y Tywysogion," which mentions several individuals with the name Rhys.
In the late 13th century, a prominent Welsh leader named Rhys ap Gruffydd (c. 1232-1292) played a significant role in the struggles against English rule in Wales. He was the ruler of the Kingdom of Deheubarth and is considered one of the last native Welsh princes to hold significant authority.
Another notable figure with the surname Rhys was Sir Rhys ap Thomas (c. 1449-1525), a Welsh soldier and landholder who fought for Henry Tudor (later King Henry VII) at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. He was instrumental in securing the throne for the Tudor dynasty and was rewarded with lands and titles.
In the 18th century, Thomas Rhys (1708-1786) was a Welsh clergyman and author who wrote several works on Welsh history and antiquities, including "The Cambrian Register" and "The History of the Episcopal Palace at Abergwili."
During the 19th century, Sir John Rhys (1840-1915) was a renowned Welsh scholar and Celtic philologist who made significant contributions to the study of Celtic languages and literature. He served as the first principal of Jesus College, Oxford, and was knighted for his academic achievements.
The surname Rhys has also been associated with various place names in Wales, such as Rhyspennau and Rhysbont, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the name in different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rhys
Among Census respondents with the surname Rhys, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.7%. The next largest groups are Black (18.6%) and Hispanic (8.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Rhys bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Rhys surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.7% · 138
- Black or African American18.6% · 41
- Hispanic or Latino8.2% · 18
- Two or more races7.3% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rhys
Rhys appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#91,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 202
+71 bearers (+54.2%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 30,559 places
2020
#90,184
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 220
+18 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 1,037 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,780 | 131 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #91,221 | 202 | 0.07 | +71 bearers (+54.2%) | Up 30,559 places |
| 2020 | #90,184 | 220 | 0.07 | +18 bearers (+8.9%) | Up 1,037 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Rhys surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #91,221 | #90,184 | 1.1% |
| Count | 202 | 220 | 8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | 5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rhys bearers went from 202 to 220 (+8.9% change). The surname moved up 1,037 positions in the national ranking, going from #91,221 to #90,184.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Rhys
FAQ
Rhys surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rhys?
Name Census estimates that about 252 living Americans carry the surname Rhys. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,360,136 residents.
How common is Rhys?
Rhys ranks #90,184 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 220 people with the surname Rhys. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (252), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Rhys.
Has Rhys become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rhys went from 202 recorded bearers to 220. That is an increase of 18 (+8.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #91,221 to #90,184.
What does the Census say about the background of Rhys?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rhys, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.7%. The next largest groups are Black (18.6%) and Hispanic (8.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rhys in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.7% (138 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rhys appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.7%), Black (18.6%), Hispanic (8.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Rhys (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Rhys mean?
An anglicized spelling of the Welsh surname referring to enthusiasm or ardor. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Rhys (0.07 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Rhys?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.