Reed is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Reed means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Reed across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Reed has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Reed is a boy name of Old English origin meaning “red-haired”. From an English surname meaning red.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 36,977 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 285 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 6 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 3 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Reed per year, United States (1881 to 2025). United States peaked in 2014 (1,122/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2012 (18/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2017 (3/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2008 (3/yr).
Reed has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2014, when it ranked #610 nationally (given to 1,133 babies that year).
Reid · Rod · Reta · Reda · Rodd
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