Reed
Reed was the 419th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 770 babies. Its best year was 2014, when it ranked 318th with 1,096 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 88 places. More babies were named Reed in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Reid) red (red-haired) · Scottish, Old English
- Rank in 2025
- #419 boys, up 31 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 770boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20141,096 babies
- Total since 1880
- 36,977babies recorded
What does the name Reed mean?
Reed is a spelling of Reid, pronounced the same way, so it shares Reid's meaning and origin.
Reid is the Scottish spelling of the surname Read or Reed, a nickname for someone with red hair or a ruddy face, from Old English rēad, "red". Harrison (1918) gives Read as "red-haired, red-complexioned" and Reid as its Scottish form. The same surname can occasionally come from places named for reeds or clearings, but the color nickname is the main source. It is used as a first name for boys.
rēad (Old English, “red”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Reed, Read, Reade.
See also: English names, names that mean a color.
Sources for this meaning
- Henry Harrison, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary, vol. 2 (1918), s.v. 'READ', Morland Press (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
- Henry Harrison, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary, vol. 2 (1918), s.v. 'REID', Morland Press (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
- Wiktionary, entry 'red', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Reed popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 921 since 1921, 14 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #419 | 770 |
| 2020 | #450 | 661 |
| 2010 | #381 | 759 |
| 2000 | #449 | 529 |
| 1990 | #656 | 238 |
| 1980 | #621 | 198 |
| 1970 | #620 | 172 |
| 1960 | #542 | 215 |
| 1950 | #468 | 204 |
| 1940 | #624 | 91 |
| 1930 | #589 | 105 |
| 1920 | #557 | 123 |
| 1910 | #519 | 30 |
| 1900 | #694 | 14 |
| 1890 | #558 | 13 |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Reed, counting every spelling?
Reed is a spelling of Reid, a name family that ranked #203 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #419 for Reed on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,943 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reid | 1,150 | #293 | 5,479 |
| Reed | 770 | #419 | 3,759 |
| Raed | 23 | #4,501 | 83 |
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 Reed?
770 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Reed (0.21 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Reed 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 11 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Reed.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Reed?
About 30,300 people born in the US named Reed are alive today, with a median age of 19; half are between 10 and 35. That makes Reed mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Reed by state
How common Reed was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Montana (3.1×), Kentucky (3.1×), West Virginia (2.7×), Louisiana (2.2×), Nebraska (2.2×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in California, Texas, New York.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Reed: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Reed, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Reed
What does Reed mean?
Reed is a spelling of Reid, which means “red (red-haired)” (Scottish, Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Reed?
Reed was the 419th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 770 babies. Its best year was 2014, when it ranked 318th with 1,096 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 88 places. More babies were named Reed in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Reed a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Reed in the US.
Where is Reed most popular?
In 2021–2025, Reed was most common in Montana (1.36 per 1,000 boys), followed by Kentucky and District of Columbia.