Rhys Surname Guide

Rhys began as a Welsh family name. In Elsdon Smith's reading, the name described “descendant of Rhys, (ardor, a rush)”.

Surname origin

It is a patronymic: it named a person after a father or forebear.

How common is Rhys?

In the 2010 US Census, 202 Americans gave Rhys as their last name (rank 91,221).

Arms associated with the name

Heraldry is personal. Arms recorded for a Rhys family belonged to that family, and other bearers of the name may have no link to them.

Want more than a summary? See the Rhys family name pack.