Namewise

Rhea

femaleGreek/Roman mythological, etymology disputed

Etymology uncertain — possibly from Greek 'rheo' ('to flow') or 'era' ('ground'). In Greek mythology, Rhea was a Titan and mother of Zeus, Poseidon and Hades; in Roman mythology, Rhea Silvia was mother of Romulus and Remus.

Origin: Greek/Roman mythological, etymology disputed

Official popularity data is available for 4 regions, from 1990 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #45 in Northern Ireland in 2023. See regions.

Rhea: Recorded since 1990, its highest recorded position is #45, and it was still inside the top 100 in 2025.

REE-uh/ˈɹi.ə/

Data Confidence

Evidence: ModerateCompleteness: SubstantialEditorial review: 2026-07-21

Confidence in the evidencebehind this name's data — never a rating of the name itself, and never affected by how well it matches your preferences. How this is assessed

Because: backed by officially or academically authoritative sources, recently verified, popularity data covers multiple regions.

Source authority

Averaged from the real per-claim source-authority assessments already computed for this name's meaning/origin/pronunciation/popularity evidence.

Independent corroboration

Averaged from the real per-claim supporting-source counts already computed for this name's evidence.

See full evidence assessment (8 dimensions, 1 not yet tracked)
Source agreement

No recorded source disagreement for this name's meanings or origins.

Recency

Calculated from how long ago this record was last verified (2026-07-21), against a 270-day staleness threshold.

Geographic relevance

Calculated from the number of geographies with official popularity data (4) — broader official coverage means the evidence base is relevant to more of where the name is actually used.

Completeness

Calculated from how many of the expected data sections (variants, similar names, popularity, notable usage, IPA pronunciation) are actually populated for this name.

Direct observation vs. inference

Averaged from the real per-claim direct-observation-vs-inference ratios already computed for this name's evidence.

Identity & variant resolution quality

Cross-source identity and variant resolution requires HEKNO Knowledge, which isn't connected yet.

Name Characteristics

How these are calculated

Descriptive attributes of the name itself — not a confidence measurement, and not an overall quality score. Namewise doesn't approve or disapprove of names.

Pronunciation clarity

Editorial judgement of how consistently this name is pronounced correctly on first read, mapped from an easy/moderate/variable rating to a number. Describes the name — not a measure of evidence confidence.

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling: shorter names with fewer irregular letter clusters score higher. A disclosed formula, not an editorial opinion — and not a confidence measurement.

Recorded regional spread

Derived from how many geographies' official statistics record this name. It measures where the name is registered, not how well-known it feels to people living there.

International spread

Derived from the same official statistical coverage, scaled to reflect how widely the name crosses national datasets. Not a measure of how easily it is understood in another language.

Trend stability

Derived from the name's traditional/modern classification and its current popularity trend direction.

Overview

Origin
Greek/Roman mythological, etymology disputed
Meaning
Etymology uncertain — possibly from Greek 'rheo' ('to flow') or 'era' ('ground'). In Greek mythology, Rhea was a Titan and mother of Zeus, Poseidon and Hades; in Roman mythology, Rhea Silvia was mother of Romulus and Remus.
Pronunciation
REE-uh
Syllables
1
Common nicknames
None recorded
Classification
Traditional & modern
Gender usage
female
Language family
Greek/Roman mythological, etymology disputed

Popularity

Falling

among girls in England and Wales · 1996–2025

England and Wales · Girls rank from 1996 to 2025, ranging from #302 to #570.199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025#302#570
View as table
England and Wales · Girls rank by year
YearRank
1996#361
1997#346
1998#325
1999#357
2000#302
2001#323
2002#329
2003#326
2004#321
2005#348
2006#333
2007#417
2008#420
2009#428
2010#458
2011#480
2012#529
2013#492
2014#541
2015#570
2016#485
2017#533
2018#532
2019#510
2020#472
2021#407
2022#486
2023#485
2024#473
2025#388

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

FallingEngland and Wales · Girls

Recorded in official data among girls in Republic of Ireland in 29 of the 36 years from 1990 to 2025.

In 2025: #85 among girls in Republic of Ireland, #388 among girls in England and Wales.

Official data from 4 national registrars across 4 regions, 19902025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1990

    First recorded at #446 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1990 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Republic of Ireland · Girls

  2. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #388 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.

    England and Wales · Girls

See full popularity history and data table

Meaning & Origin

Etymology uncertain — possibly from Greek 'rheo' ('to flow') or 'era' ('ground'). In Greek mythology, Rhea was a Titan and mother of Zeus, Poseidon and Hades; in Roman mythology, Rhea Silvia was mother of Romulus and Remus.

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Greek/Roman mythological, etymology disputed

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Other names with a researched meaning and origin →

Where Rhea is officially recorded

4 official registrars have recorded Rhea, between 1990 and 2025, in 33 of those 36 years. Each registrar publishes for its own population on its own methodology, so the positions below are each one country's own ranking and are not comparable with one another.

RegistrarRecordedYearsIts own highest position
Republic of Ireland1990–202529#85 in 2025
England and Wales1996–202530#302 in 2000
Northern Ireland1998–202425#45 in 2023
Scotland20241#102 in 2024

Its high point came 25 years earlier in England and Wales (2000) than in Republic of Ireland (2025).

No registrar recorded it for 3 years after 1992; it appears again in 1996.

Variants

No spelling variants or nicknames recorded yet.

Similar Names

No similar names recorded yet for this name.

Similarity is a demonstration score — see methodology.

Spelling

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling — see Name Characteristics above.

No commonly used alternate spellings recorded.

Pronunciation

REE-uh/ˈɹi.ə/
Syllables
1
Ease
easy

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Where Rhea Is Recorded

National statistical agencies have recorded Rhea in these places. This shows where the name is used — not where it comes from, and not that it carries particular cultural significance there.

England and WalesNorthern IrelandScotlandRepublic of Ireland

Notable Usage

No safely-sourced notable usage recorded for this name yet.

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

Entirely local — nothing you type here is saved or sent anywhere.

Full sibling-set and initials-across-a-shortlist matching is a planned premium feature — see Premium.