Reid
Reid was the 293rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,150 babies. Its best year was 2013, when it ranked 259th; the most babies were born in 2014 (1,432). Over the last ten years it has moved down 15 places. More babies were named Reid in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning red (red-haired) · Scottish, Old English
Say it REED /rid/
- Rank in 2025
- #293 boys, up 23 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,150boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20141,432 babies
- Total since 1880
- 41,783babies recorded
What does the name Reid mean?
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
Reid popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 992 since 1962, 34 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #293 | 1,150 |
| 2020 | #316 | 1,048 |
| 2010 | #291 | 1,145 |
| 2000 | #437 | 545 |
| 1990 | #545 | 339 |
| 1980 | #596 | 212 |
| 1970 | #565 | 207 |
| 1960 | #685 | 132 |
| 1950 | #570 | 142 |
| 1940 | #780 | 64 |
| 1930 | #872 | 58 |
| 1920 | #742 | 78 |
| 1910 | #1,549 | 6 |
| 1900 | #1,033 | 8 |
| 1890 | #863 | 7 |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Reid, counting every spelling?
Reid is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #203 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #293 for Reid 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 Reid?
1,150 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Reid (0.32 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Reid 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 7 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Reid.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Reid?
About 37,000 people born in the US named Reid are alive today, with a median age of 16; half are between 9 and 31. That makes Reid 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.
Reid by state
How common Reid was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Maine (4.4×), New Hampshire (2.6×), Louisiana (2.6×), Delaware (2.4×), Montana (2.1×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Nevada, Rhode Island, District of Columbia.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Reid: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Reid, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Reid · Sibling names for Reid
Questions about the name Reid
What does Reid mean?
Reid means “red (red-haired)” (Scottish, Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Reid?
Reid was the 293rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,150 babies. Its best year was 2013, when it ranked 259th; the most babies were born in 2014 (1,432). Over the last ten years it has moved down 15 places. More babies were named Reid in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Reid a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Reid in the US.
Where is Reid most popular?
In 2021–2025, Reid was most common in Maine (2.78 per 1,000 boys), followed by New Hampshire and Louisiana.