A Welsh surname which means the king or one with power and strength. In German and Dutch the term ‘rese’ refers to a large and strong man.

Spelling variations for Reese include Rees, Rice, Reis, Reece, Rhys and Ap Rhys.

In Wales the Reese name first appeared in the area of Carmarthenshire. Then the surname of Reese covered the entire region with the primarily location of Reese families in Glamorgan, Monmouthshire and Montgomeryshire. In England most Reese family live close to the English and Welsh border counties like Shropshire. They also live in Norfolk and the city of London. In Scotland only Lanarkshire county has any number of Reese families.

Within the United States Reese families primarily live in Ohio, Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Texas, Pennsylvania and New York.

Famous: Mason Reese (actor), Charley Reese (newspaper columnist for the Orlando Sentinel), Harry Burnett Reese (founder of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and the company of H. B. Reese Candy), Pee Wee Reese (professional baseball player), John H. Reese (fictional author of the American West) and Della Reese (singer and actress).