# Reed (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/reed/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Old English, a spelling variant of Reid.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 277,030 |
| US rank (2010) | 73 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 1,114 people |
| Change since 2000 | +3.6% (267,443 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ɹiːd/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## 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.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Reed in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 71% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 23% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.2% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.1% |
| Two or more races | 2.3% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Reed in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.

## People named Reed

- Lou Reed, American rock musician (1942–2013)
- Donna Reed, American film and television actress
- John Reed, American journalist, poet, and communist activist
- Oliver Reed, British actor (1938–1999)
- Crystal Reed, American actress
- Willis Reed, American basketball player (1942–2023)
- Peyton Reed, American film director
- Jack Reed, American politician (born 1949)
- Jimmy Reed, American blues musician and songwriter (1925–1976)
- Dizzy Reed, American musician
- Walter Reed, American physician and medical researcher (1851–1902)
- Pamela Reed, American actress

and 62 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Reid, Read, Redd, Reddy, Reedy, Ready, Reidy, Reda, Red, Reade, Ried, Roth.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.