Ree
A feminine name derived from Marie, meaning "wished-for child".
Name Census estimates that about 153 living Americans carry the first name Ree. It is a predominantly female name (98.4% of registrations). The average person named Ree today is around 60 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ree births was 1953 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ree. 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 Ree with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
153
~ 1 in 2,240,224 Americans
Peak year
1953
17 babies that year
Average age
60
years old
1953 SSA rank
#4,235
Tracked since 1908
Census
Ree in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 755 people with the first name Ree, which placed it at #15,282 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
#15,282
National first-name rank
People counted
755
755 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
40.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ree
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ree is White at 40.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (29.9%) and Black (20.4%). 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 Ree 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 Ree at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White40.4% · 305
- Asian and Pacific Islander29.9% · 226
- Black or African American20.4% · 154
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 38
- Two or more races2.6% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 12
Gender
Gender distribution for Ree
Ree leans heavily female at 98.4% of total registrations, but 5 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Ree as a male name
- Ranked #4,235 in 1953
- 5 male births in 1953
- Peak: 1953 (5 births)
Ree as a female name
- Ranked #17,135 in 2021
- 5 female births in 2021
- Peak: 1952 (12 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Ree on both sides of the split. Of the 757 people counted with this name, 185 were male (24.4%) and 572 were female (75.6%).
Popularity
Ree: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ree from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 98 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ree 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 Ree during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ree
The name Ree is a unisex given name with origins in several cultures and languages. It is believed to have originated as a shortened form of other names or as a standalone name with various meanings.
In English-speaking countries, Ree is sometimes used as a diminutive or nickname for names like Reginald, Regina, or Rhea. It can also be a shortened version of the name Reed, which has Old English origins and means "red-haired."
In Dutch and Germanic languages, Ree is a variant spelling of the name Ria, which is derived from the name Maria. This name has biblical roots and means "wished-for child" or "bitter" in Hebrew.
In Asian cultures, particularly in Japan, the name Ree can be a romanized rendering of the Japanese name "Rei," which means "bell," "courtesy," or "gratitude." It is a popular name for both males and females in Japan.
Historically, there are records of individuals named Ree or variations of the name dating back centuries. One notable figure was Ree Drummond, an American blogger, author, and television personality born in 1969, known for her work on the Food Network show "The Pioneer Woman."
Another famous Ree was Ree Morton, an American artist and sculptor who lived from 1936 to 1977. Her work explored themes of language, identity, and consumer culture.
In the 17th century, there was Ree Drummond, an English landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Taunton from 1640 to 1644.
Ree Vye, a Norwegian writer and poet who lived from 1881 to 1959, is also known for her contributions to Norwegian literature.
Lastly, Ree Jeré, an American actress and singer who was active in the 1940s and 1950s, is remembered for her performances in films and on Broadway.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Ree or variations of it, highlighting the diverse cultural and linguistic origins of this given name.
People
Ree + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ree 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
Ree: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ree?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 153 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ree 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 2,240,224 US residents.
Is Ree a common name?
We classify Ree as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 305 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ree most popular?
The single biggest year for Ree was 1953, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ree is about 60 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ree in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 755 people with the name Ree, or 0.25 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #15,282 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 Ree 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 Ree?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Ree on both sides of the split. Of the 757 people counted with this name, 185 were male (24.4%) and 572 were female (75.6%). 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 Ree?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ree is White at 40.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (29.9%) and Black (20.4%). 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 Ree most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Ree in the 2020 Census, accounting for 40.4% (305 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 Ree in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ree a female name?
Yes, 98.4% of people registered as Ree 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 Ree still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ree 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 Ree 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 Americans are named Ree?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.