Rhea
Rhea was the 639th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 452 babies. Its best year was 1893, when it ranked 363rd; the most babies were born in 2023 (577). Over the last ten years it has moved up 357 places. More babies were named Rhea in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning Greek Titaness (origin disputed) · Greek
Say it REE-uh /ˈriə/
- Rank in 2025
- #639 girls, down 14 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 452girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2023577 babies
- Total since 1880
- 20,145babies recorded
What does the name Rhea mean?
Rhea is the Titaness of Greek myth, daughter of Uranus and Gaia and mother of Zeus, Hera and other Olympian gods. Wiktionary calls the origin of the Greek name disputed: suggestions connect it with a word for earth, with rheō, to flow, or with a pre-Greek source. Wiktionary notes that a moon of Saturn has carried the name since John Herschel proposed it in 1847. As an English given name it has been in occasional use since the 19th century.
Ῥέα (Ancient Greek, “Rhea”)ῥέω (Ancient Greek, “to flow (one proposal)”)
How sure is this? Disputed. Wiktionary lists several proposals (earth, 'to flow', pre-Greek) without choosing.
Other explanations you may read: Means 'flowing stream'. This is one proposal among several..
Related names: Rea, Ria, Reah.
See also: Greek names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Rhea' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Ῥέα' (Ancient Greek section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Rhea popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 408 since 1896.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #639 | 452 |
| 2020 | #625 | 464 |
| 2010 | #1,175 | 208 |
| 2000 | #1,169 | 172 |
| 1990 | #1,315 | 124 |
| 1980 | #1,088 | 129 |
| 1970 | #1,301 | 83 |
| 1960 | #1,013 | 113 |
| 1950 | #831 | 111 |
| 1940 | #749 | 86 |
| 1930 | #620 | 125 |
| 1920 | #518 | 184 |
| 1910 | #531 | 60 |
| 1900 | #476 | 51 |
| 1890 | #409 | 39 |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Rhea, counting every spelling?
Rhea is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #564 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #639 for Rhea on its own. Together these spellings went to 530 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhea | 452 | #639 | 2,501 |
| Ria | 78 | #2,346 | 398 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Rhea?
452 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Rhea (0.13 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Rhea born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 19 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Rhea.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Rhea?
About 13,800 people born in the US named Rhea are alive today, with a median age of 22; half are between 8 and 49. That makes Rhea mostly worn by children and young adults. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Rhea by state
How common Rhea was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Massachusetts (2.3×), Nevada (2.2×), Colorado (2.1×), Oregon (1.7×), Washington (1.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Louisiana, Arkansas, Nebraska.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Rhea: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Rhea, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Rhea · Sibling names for Rhea
Questions about the name Rhea
What does Rhea mean?
Rhea is usually explained as “Greek Titaness (origin disputed)”, but this is disputed. Certainty: disputed.
How popular is the name Rhea?
Rhea was the 639th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 452 babies. Its best year was 1893, when it ranked 363rd; the most babies were born in 2023 (577). Over the last ten years it has moved up 357 places. More babies were named Rhea in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Rhea a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Rhea in the US.
Where is Rhea most popular?
In 2021–2025, Rhea was most common in Hawaii (0.96 per 1,000 girls), followed by Maine and Massachusetts.