# Reed (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/reed/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | “to clear out”, “roe deer” |
| Pronunciation | /ɹiːd/, 1 syllable |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 36,977 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 36,056 / 921 (2% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 301, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

* As an English and Scottish surname, from the adjective red. * Also as an English surname, from Old English rēodan (“to clear out”), from Proto-West Germanic *reudan. * Also as an English surname, from several places in England, such as Reed, Lancashire (from Old English ra (“roe deer”) or Rede, Suffolk (see Rede). Compare Rider, Reader.

## What it means

Reed is grouped under deer.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 34 | 4,337 |
| 2012 | 25 | 5,526 |
| 2013 | 25 | 5,450 |
| 2014 | 26 | 5,282 |
| 2015 | 37 | 4,055 |
| 2016 | 38 | 3,982 |
| 2017 | 20 | 6,241 |
| 2018 | 34 | 4,223 |
| 2019 | 28 | 4,875 |
| 2020 | 32 | 4,340 |
| 2021 | 27 | 4,931 |
| 2022 | 18 | 6,656 |
| 2023 | 24 | 5,353 |
| 2024 | 22 | 5,755 |
| 2025 | 14 | 7,814 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 809 | 367 |
| 2012 | 817 | 372 |
| 2013 | 1,032 | 323 |
| 2014 | 1,096 | 318 |
| 2015 | 1,045 | 331 |
| 2016 | 962 | 351 |
| 2017 | 862 | 379 |
| 2018 | 855 | 378 |
| 2019 | 777 | 402 |
| 2020 | 661 | 450 |
| 2021 | 740 | 415 |
| 2022 | 777 | 416 |
| 2023 | 725 | 431 |
| 2024 | 747 | 423 |
| 2025 | 770 | 419 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 3 | 5,666 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 11 | 1,909 |
| 2012 | 18 | 1,367 |
| 2013 | 16 | 1,462 |
| 2014 | 11 | 1,935 |
| 2015 | 14 | 1,673 |
| 2016 | 16 | 1,570 |
| 2017 | 15 | 1,627 |
| 2018 | 7 | 2,693 |
| 2019 | 11 | 1,986 |
| 2020 | 10 | 2,076 |
| 2021 | 16 | 1,516 |
| 2022 | 12 | 1,879 |
| 2023 | 11 | 2,007 |
| 2024 | 16 | 1,595 |
| 2025 | 9 | 2,440 |

## People named Reed

- Jerry Reed, American singer and actor (1937–2008)
- Reed Diamond, American actor
- Reed Hastings, American entrepreneur and education philanthropist
- Reed Hadley, American actor (1911–1974)
- Reed Birney, American actor
- Reed Sheppard, American basketball player (born 2004)
- Reed Morano, American cinematographer
- Reed Baker-Whiting, American soccer player
- Reed Alexander, American actor
- Reed Malone, American swimmer
- Walter Reed, American actor (1916-2001)
- Reed C. Rollins, American botanist (1911–1998)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.