2000
#405
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 71,754
First available Census row
Per 100,000 26.60
Uncommon Last name
Reese
A Welsh surname derived from the given name Rhys, meaning "ardor, enthusiasm" in Welsh.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 81,579 Americans carry the last name Reese. That puts it at #454 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 23.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,202 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Reese 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 Reese with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
82K
1 in 4,202
Census rank
#454
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
23.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
71K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 71,141 bearers of the surname Reese in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 23.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 454th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Reese, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (27.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Reese
The surname Reese originated in Wales, deriving from the Old Welsh personal name "Rhys," which itself comes from the Welsh word "rhys" meaning "ardor" or "zeal." The name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire in South Wales.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in records as "Rees" and "Res." By the 15th century, the spelling had evolved to "Reese," which became the standard form. The name Reese is also found in some early English records, suggesting that Welsh settlers brought the name to England.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Rhys ap Gruffydd (c. 1132-1197), a Welsh prince and ruler of the kingdom of Deheubarth in South Wales. He was a prominent figure in the struggle against Norman English rule in Wales.
Another notable figure was Sir Rhys ap Thomas (c. 1449-1525), a Welsh soldier and landholder who played a significant role in the Wars of the Roses and helped secure the throne for Henry VII. He was rewarded with lands in Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire.
In the 17th century, the surname Reese was well-established in Wales, with several prominent families bearing the name. One such family was the Reeses of Margam Park in Glamorgan, a wealthy and influential family of landowners and industrialists.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, many Welsh families with the surname Reese emigrated to America, seeking economic opportunities and religious freedom. William Reese (1759-1836), a Welsh-American soldier, fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Pennsylvania.
In the 20th century, the name Reese gained further recognition through several notable individuals, including Richard Reese (1889-1970), an American football player and coach, and Della Reese (1931-2017), an American singer, actress, and ordained minister.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reese
Among Census respondents with the surname Reese, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (27.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Reese 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 Reese surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.6% · 45,275
- Black or African American27.5% · 19,579
- Two or more races4.2% · 2,969
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 2,563
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 397
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 358
Timeline
Historical Census data for Reese
Reese 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
#445
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 73,919
+2,165 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 25.06
Rank movement Down 40 places
2020
#454
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 71,141
-2,778 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 23.80
Rank movement Down 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #405 | 71,754 | 26.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #445 | 73,919 | 25.06 | +2,165 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 40 places |
| 2020 | #454 | 71,141 | 23.80 | -2,778 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 9 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 Reese 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 | #445 | #454 | -2.0% |
| Count | 73,919 | 71,141 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 25.06 | 23.80 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Reese bearers went from 73,919 to 71,141 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #445 to #454.
FAQ
Reese surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Reese?
Name Census estimates that about 81,579 living Americans carry the surname Reese. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,202 residents.
How common is Reese?
Reese ranks #454 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 23.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 24 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 71,141 people with the surname Reese. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (81,579), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 23.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 23.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 24 of them to have the surname Reese.
Has Reese become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Reese went from 73,919 recorded bearers to 71,141. That is a decrease of 2,778 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #445 to #454.
What does the Census say about the background of Reese?
Among Census respondents with the surname Reese, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (27.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Reese in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.6% (45,275 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Reese appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.6%), Black (27.5%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Reese (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 Reese mean?
A Welsh surname derived from the given name Rhys, meaning "ardor, enthusiasm" in Welsh. 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 Reese (23.80 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 Reese?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.