REESE
Reese is a surname of Welsh provenance, rooted in the Celtic linguistic tradition of the British Isles. The name derives from the personal name Rhys, which in Welsh signifies enthusiasm or ardour. It is therefore a patronymic surname, originally used to denote the descendants of an individual bearing the name Rhys.
In the early medieval period the name appears in a series of official documents. The Anglo‑Saxon Chronicle of Cambridgeshire records the personal name as Hris in 1052. The Domesday Book of 1086 lists the surname as Rees, while the Pipe Rolls of Shropshire in 1198 contain the entry Res. The earliest surviving document that presents the name as a family surname is the Feet of Fines of Suffolk, where John Rees is recorded in 1288. An earlier reference is found in the Curia Regis Rolls of Lincolnshire, in which William Res appears in 1203 during the reign of King John (1199‑1216).
The surname has produced a wide range of orthographic variants. These include Reace, Reece, Rees and Reese, and further variations such as Rhys, Rice, Rase, Raise and Rays. Such diversity reflects both regional pronunciation differences and the absence of a fixed spelling system in the early modern period.
Evidence of the surname in the London parish registers illustrates its use in urban contexts during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The christening of Franncis, son of Richard Race, took place on 29 September 1580 at St. Botolph's, Bishopsgate, and the marriage of Willim Race to Elizabeth Coverley was recorded on 10 November 1607 at St. Dunstan's, Stepney. In the twentieth century, the name entered the United States through emigration; a record exists of James Race, a 17‑year‑old famine emigrant, who sailed from Liverpool on the vessel Broom bound for New York on 1 June 1846.
Today the surname Reese remains relatively common in Wales and among individuals of Welsh descent elsewhere. Its continued presence in official records and its linguistic roots in the personal name Rhys affirm its historical continuity and cultural significance within Welsh heritage.
Typical given names associated with the Reese surname
Male
- Alan
- Andrew
- Daniel
- David
- Gareth
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Nicholas
- Philip
- Robert
- Stephen
- Timothy
Female
- Angela
- Anne
- Barbara
- Elizabeth
- Hayley
- Jennifer
- Lorraine
- Margaret
- Mary
- Pamela
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Erese
- Race
- Raees
- Raese
- Raess
- Raise
- Rase
- Rass
- Rasse
- Raza
- Raze
- Reace
- Reader
- Rease
- Reasey
- Rece
- Reece
- Reeces
- Reecse
- Rees
- Reeseg
- Reeser
- Reeses
- Reess
- Rehse
- Rehsi
- Reice
- Reis
- Reise
- Reish
- Reisi
- Reiske
- Reiss
- Reisz
- Resa
- Resce
- Rese
- Resh
- Resi
- Resk
- Reske
- Ress
- Ressa
- Resse
- Resue
- Resy
- Reus
- Reyce
- Reyes
- Reyse
- Reyss
- Rezae
- Rezaee
- Rhees
- Rheese
- Rice
- Riece
- Ries
- Riese
- Riess
- Riesz
- Riis
- Rise
- Roese
- Roos
- Rous
- Rouse
- Rowse
- Royce
- Ruis
- Ruiz
- Ruse
- Russ
- Russo
- Ryce
- Wrase
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Reese in...
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There are approximately 670 people named Reese in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around ten in a million people in Britain are named Reese.
Surname type: From given name or forename
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Wales
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Welsh
Famous people named Reese
- Sian Reese-Williams - Welsh actress
- Terence Reese - Contract bridge writer and player (1913 to 1996)
- Jason Reese - Engineer (1967 to 2019)
- John D. Reese - American baseball coach (1855 to 1931)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.