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    The surname Reed

    A surname, the 73rd most common in the United States.

    Pronounced /ɹiːd/ 1 syllable Soundex R300 Also a first name

    Reed: #73 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#10Martinez#1,000Archer#10,001Dubon Reed #73, 277,030 people Reed: #73 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#1,000Archer Reed #73, 277,030 people
    Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Reed is more common than 99.9% of them.

    Origin

    * 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.

    Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    How common it is

    2010 US Census

    There were 277,030 people named Reed in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 1,114 Americans. That is up 3.6% since 2000, when the Census counted 267,443.

    #73
    rank among US surnames
    277,030
    people in 2010
    94
    per 100,000 Americans
    +3.6%
    change since 2000 (was #65)
    RankSurnamePeople1 in
    #64Murphy308,4171,001
    #65Cook302,5891,020
    #66Rogers302,2611,021
    #67Gutierrez293,2181,053
    #68Ortiz286,8991,076
    #69Morgan286,2801,078
    #70Cooper280,7911,100

    Who is named Reed

    Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

    71% of people named Reed identified as white (not Hispanic), 23% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.3% as two or more races.

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

    Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

    Famous Reeds

    74 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • Lou Reed
      American rock musician (1942–2013)
    • Donna Reed
      American film and television actress, 1921–1986
    • John Reed
      American journalist, poet, and communist activist, 1887–1920
    • Oliver Reed
      British actor (1938–1999)
    • Crystal Reed
      American actress, born 1985
    • Willis Reed
      American basketball player (1942–2023)
    • Peyton Reed
      American film director, born 1964
    • Jack Reed
      American politician (born 1949)
    • Jimmy Reed
      American blues musician and songwriter (1925–1976)
    • Dizzy Reed
      American musician, born 1963
    • Walter Reed
      American physician and medical researcher (1851–1902)
    • Pamela Reed
      American actress, born 1949

    Notable Reeds come mostly from the United States (69), the United Kingdom (2) and Australia (2).

    Spellings and sound-alikes

    Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

    Surnames that sound like Reed

    Reed has the Soundex code R300, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code R300.

    Questions

    Where does the surname Reed come from?
    * 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,…
    How common is the surname Reed?
    277,030 people in the United States had the surname Reed in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,114 Americans. It ranked 73rd of 162,253 surnames.
    What ethnicity is the surname Reed?
    In the 2010 Census, 71% of people named Reed identified as white (not Hispanic), and 23% as Black (not Hispanic).
    Who is the most famous person named Reed?
    Lou Reed, American rock musician (1942–2013), followed by Donna Reed.
    Where is the surname Reed most common?
    Wikidata records people named Reed in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 1 other country.
    How do you pronounce Reed?
    Reed is /ɹiːd/, one syllable.
    Is the surname Reed getting more or less common?
    More common. 267,443 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 277,030 in 2010, up 3.6%.
    Is Reed also a first name?
    Yes. Reed is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.