Head to head · Boys' names
Conrad vs Reed
#417 vs #417 in 2025
Conrad and Reed share the same spot on the 2025 charts (#417). The records cannot split them; sound and story will.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Conrad leads 3 measures of 6; Reed leads 1.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Conrad #260, Reed #718 — Conrad higher
- 1890s: Conrad #290, Reed #562 — Conrad higher
- 1900s: Conrad #350, Reed #568 — Conrad higher
- 1910s: Conrad #309, Reed #563 — Conrad higher
- 1920s: Conrad #298, Reed #560 — Conrad higher
- 1930s: Conrad #249, Reed #641 — Conrad higher
- 1940s: Conrad #314, Reed #552 — Conrad higher
- 1950s: Conrad #385, Reed #465 — Conrad higher
- 1960s: Conrad #492, Reed #599 — Conrad higher
- 1970s: Conrad #592, Reed #689 — Conrad higher
- 1980s: Conrad #583, Reed #599 — Conrad higher
- 1990s: Conrad #618, Reed #486 — Reed higher
- 2000s: Conrad #752, Reed #462 — Reed higher
- 2010s: Conrad #650, Reed #360 — Reed higher
- 2020s: Conrad #514, Reed #425 — Reed higher
Conrad stood higher in 11 of 15 decades; Reed has held the lead since the 1990s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Conrad | Reed |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #260 | #718 |
| 1890s | #290 | #562 |
| 1900s | #350 | #568 |
| 1910s | #309 | #563 |
| 1920s | #298 | #560 |
| 1930s | #249 | #641 |
| 1940s | #314 | #552 |
| 1950s | #385 | #465 |
| 1960s | #492 | #599 |
| 1970s | #592 | #689 |
| 1980s | #583 | #599 |
| 1990s | #618 | #486 |
| 2000s | #752 | #462 |
| 2010s | #650 | #360 |
| 2020s | #514 | #425 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Conrad
bold counsel
From Old High German kuoni, 'bold' or 'brave', and rat, 'counsel' or 'advice' — the sort of compound name Germanic families built from qualities they admired.
Kuonrat → Konrad → Conrad
How it traveled
The name is Germanic, formed in the early medieval period from kuoni and rat, and it belonged squarely to the ruling class: Conrad I was elected king of the East Franks in the tenth century, and Conrads sat on the German throne repeatedly after him. Saint Conrad of Constance, a tenth-century bishop, carried it into the church calendar and kept it in circulation across Catholic Europe.
Reed
"red-haired" or "ruddy" — or, in some families, "by the reeds"
The main line traces to Old English rēad, "red," a byname for someone with red hair or a ruddy face; that is the same root behind Reid and Read. A separate group of Reeds comes from place-names about reed beds or marshy ground, and a smaller set from Old English words for a cleared patch of land. All are documented; which one a given family carries depends on the family.
rēad (Old English, "red") → Rede → Read → Reid → Reed
How it traveled
Reed is an English and Scottish surname turned given name. Its commonest source is the Old English adjective rēad, "red," used as a nickname for red-haired or ruddy-complexioned men in medieval England and Scotland — the same word that gives us Reid, Read and Rede, four spellings of one habit of naming.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Conrad
KON-rad
Stress on the first syllable. German speakers say KOHN-raht, with a clearer 'a' at the end; the English version is close enough that the name crosses borders without repair.
- Con — The plainest clip, informal, and the one that comes naturally in English-speaking households.
- Connie — A long-standing short form for men named Conrad, though in current American use the spelling reads mostly as a woman's name on its own.
- Kurt — A German short form of Konrad that long ago became a full given name in its own right, in German and in English.
- Rad — Informal, drawn from the second half of the name; used within families rather than on paper.
- Also Cord.
Reed
REED
One syllable, rhyming with need. It is a homophone of the plant reed and of the present-tense verb read, which almost never causes trouble aloud.
- Reedy — Informal and affectionate, more often a schoolyard or teammate usage than anything a family plans on.
- Ree — Occasional household clipping; rare, since the name is already a single syllable.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Conrad if you want…
- a name on the way upup 134 places on the charts in five years
- a name with more sound in itConrad runs 2 syllables, Reed 1
- plenty of nickname options5 recorded short forms — Con, Connie and Kurt
- a long American recordConrad was already in use when US records began in 1880
Choose Reed if you want…
- a name holding steadyReed is holding its place on the charts
- a name with fewer syllablesReed is 1 syllable to Conrad's 2
- a newer arrivalReed entered the US charts in 1881
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Conrad
Strengths
- Spelled the way it sounds, one syllable each, with no common English variant to correct on forms.
- More than a thousand years of continuous use, from medieval German kings through to children born this year.
- Works in German, Polish, Italian, Spanish and Dutch with only small adjustments — a name that travels without translation.
To consider
- Konrad with a K is the standard spelling in German and Polish, so expect an occasional pause over which one you meant — a one-second correction, not a lifelong one.
- The name is still strongly represented among older generations in America, which means most adults will have met a Conrad who was well past childhood. That association fades quickly as more young ones arrive.
- Connie, the traditional short form, now reads as a woman's name to most American ears. Con and Kurt sidestep it if that matters to you.
Reed
Strengths
- One syllable, one obvious pronunciation — nobody has to ask how to say it.
- Spelled with letters that already form a familiar English word, so it is easy to write down after hearing it once.
- On the US record since the nineteenth century and never far off it, without ever becoming a name shared by several boys in a class.
To consider
- Reed and Reid are pronounced identically, so expect the follow-up question — "with an ee or an ei?" — for life. Not a burden, just a small recurring sentence.
- Being a single syllable, it can sound clipped beside a short surname. Saying the full name aloud a few times tells you more than any list will.
- There are almost no nicknames to fall back on. Some families like that the name arrives finished; others miss having a longer form in reserve.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Conrad and Reed in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Conrad and Reed?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Vintage names making a comeback
- Grandmother-chic: 1920s names ready to return
- Medieval names still in use
- Nature names in real use
- all guides
Where Conrad and Reed each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Conrad or Reed — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Conrad or Reed?
- They tie in 2025: Conrad ranked #417 with 770 babies; Reed ranked #417 with 770 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Conrad or Reed?
- Conrad. Over the last five years Conrad moved up 134 places; Reed moved up 33 places.
- Which is the older name, Conrad or Reed?
- Conrad was already in use when US records began in 1880; Reed entered the US charts in 1881. On the American record, Conrad is the older name.
- How many people are named Conrad and Reed?
- About 24,500 people named Conrad are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 30,500 people named Reed are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Conrads or Reeds in the classroom?
- Conrad will almost certainly be the only one in school. Reed will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
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