Rhyett
A unique name of unknown origin, possibly a variant of Rhett.
Name Census estimates that about 165 living Americans carry the first name Rhyett. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rhyett today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rhyett births was 2024 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rhyett. 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.
People living today
165
~ 1 in 2,077,299 Americans
Peak year
2024
24 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,389
Tracked since 2015
Popularity
Rhyett: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rhyett from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 101 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
Rhyett 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 Rhyett during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rhyetts live
Origin
Meaning and history of Rhyett
The name Rhyett is a relatively modern name with an uncertain origin. It is believed to be a variant spelling of the more common name Rhett, which itself is a shortened form of the English surname Rhet or Rhett.
The surname Rhet or Rhett is thought to have originated from the Old English word "hræd," meaning "swift" or "quick." This suggests that the name Rhyett may have originally been a nickname given to someone who was known for their swiftness or agility.
While the name Rhyett does not have a long historical lineage, there are a few notable individuals who have borne this name. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rhyett is Rhyett Pemble, an English author and playwright who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Pemble's exact dates of birth and death are uncertain, but he is known to have written several plays and poems during the Elizabethan era.
Another notable bearer of the name Rhyett was Rhyett Owens, an American baseball player who played in the Negro Leagues during the 1920s and 1930s. Owens was born in 1901 and played for teams such as the Birmingham Black Barons and the Kansas City Monarchs.
In more recent times, Rhyett Caldwell was an American football player who played as a defensive back in the National Football League (NFL) during the 1970s. Caldwell was born in 1948 and played for teams such as the Denver Broncos and the San Francisco 49ers.
One of the more prominent individuals with the name Rhyett is Rhyett Power, an Australian actor and model. Power was born in 1990 and has appeared in several television shows and films, including the popular soap opera "Neighbours."
Finally, Rhyett O'Neill is an American musician and songwriter who has released several albums and singles in the country and Americana genres. O'Neill was born in 1984 and continues to be an active performer and recording artist.
It is worth noting that while the name Rhyett has gained some popularity in recent years, it remains a relatively uncommon name, particularly in comparison to its more traditional spelling, Rhett.
People
Rhyett + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rhyett 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
Rhyett: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rhyett?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 165 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rhyett 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 2,077,299 US residents.
Is Rhyett a common name?
We classify Rhyett as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 166 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rhyett most popular?
The single biggest year for Rhyett was 2024, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rhyett is about 6 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rhyett a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rhyett in the SSA data are male. 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.
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.