Head to head · Boys' names
Reid vs Remington
#293 vs #307 in 2025
Reid is a whisker ahead (#293 vs #307 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Reid is holding its place on the charts, Remington is stepping back from its peak.
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, Reid leads 5 measures of 6; Remington 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: Reid #938, Remington — — Reid higher
- 1890s: Reid #748, Remington — — Reid higher
- 1900s: Reid #956, Remington — — Reid higher
- 1910s: Reid #990, Remington — — Reid higher
- 1920s: Reid #780, Remington — — Reid higher
- 1930s: Reid #889, Remington — — Reid higher
- 1940s: Reid #703, Remington — — Reid higher
- 1950s: Reid #550, Remington #3886 — Reid higher
- 1960s: Reid #661, Remington — — Reid higher
- 1970s: Reid #646, Remington #5845 — Reid higher
- 1980s: Reid #522, Remington #1281 — Reid higher
- 1990s: Reid #458, Remington #865 — Reid higher
- 2000s: Reid #421, Remington #785 — Reid higher
- 2010s: Reid #280, Remington #338 — Reid higher
- 2020s: Reid #308, Remington #263 — Remington higher
Reid stood higher in 14 of 15 decades; Remington took the 2020s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Reid | Remington |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #938 | — |
| 1890s | #748 | — |
| 1900s | #956 | — |
| 1910s | #990 | — |
| 1920s | #780 | — |
| 1930s | #889 | — |
| 1940s | #703 | — |
| 1950s | #550 | #3886 |
| 1960s | #661 | — |
| 1970s | #646 | #5845 |
| 1980s | #522 | #1281 |
| 1990s | #458 | #865 |
| 2000s | #421 | #785 |
| 2010s | #280 | #338 |
| 2020s | #308 | #263 |
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
Reid
red-haired or ruddy-complexioned
From Middle English read (Scots reid), 'red' — originally a descriptive byname for hair or complexion, which then hardened into a family name.
rēad (Old English, 'red') → read / reid (Middle English and Scots byname) → Reid (Scottish surname) → Reid (given name)
How it traveled
The word behind it is Old English rēad, 'red', which became read in Middle English and reid in Scots. Used first as a nickname for a red-haired or high-colored person, it became a hereditary surname across Scotland and northern England, where the -ei- spelling took hold while England kept Read, Reade and Reed.
Remington
from an English place name: 'farmstead by the boundary stream'
The place is Rimington in Lancashire, built from Old English rima, 'rim, edge, border', and tūn, 'farmstead, settlement'. As with almost all surname-names, the meaning belongs to the village, not to any quality of a person.
Rimington (Lancashire place name) → Remington (English surname) → Remington (American given name)
How it traveled
The trail starts with a small settlement in Lancashire, named for its position on a boundary — the edge of one holding, the beginning of another. Families who came from there carried the place with them as a surname, and the surname sailed to North America, where it attached itself to two enterprises that made it a household word: the arms company founded by Eliphalet Remington in 1816, and the writing machine sold under the Remington name from the 1870s, the one that gave the world the QWERTY keyboard.
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
Reid
REED
One syllable, rhyming with need. Identical in sound to the word reed and to read in the present tense.
- Reidy — Informal, mostly a schoolyard or teammate form built off the surname pattern; not used as a name in its own right.
Remington
REM-ing-tun
Stress on the first syllable. There is only one pronunciation in English, and the spelling gives it away, so it is rarely said wrong.
- Remi — The most common short form in American use, for boys and girls alike; also an independent given name in its own right, from the French Rémi.
- Remy — Same short form, the spelling more often seen for boys; likewise stands alone as a full name.
- Rem — A clipped, informal one-syllable version used at home and among friends.
- Remmy — Informal and affectionate, mostly used by family in the early years.
- Also Ronnie.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Reid if you want…
- a name most people already know#293 in 2025, 1,150 babies that year
- a name on the way upup 23 places on the charts in five years
- a name with fewer syllablesReid is 1 syllable to Remington's 3
- a name that stays wholeone recorded short form for Reid (Reidy)
Choose Remington if you want…
- a name fewer children share#307 in 2025 — remington will almost certainly be the only one in school
- a name past its most crowded yearsRemington is stepping back from its peak
- a name with more sound in itRemington runs 3 syllables, Reid 1
- plenty of nickname options5 recorded short forms — Remi, Remy and Rem
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
Reid
Strengths
- One syllable and four letters — nothing to shorten, and it fits comfortably in front of long or short surnames alike.
- Said the same way by everyone at first sight; the only question is ever the spelling, not the sound.
- A documented line from Old English rēad through Scots reid to the modern surname, in continuous use for centuries.
To consider
- The spelling will need saying aloud for life. Reed is the more expected American form, and Read and Reade are also in circulation, so 'Reid, R-E-I-D' becomes a reflex.
- There is no built-in short form. If you like having an affectionate alternative on hand, this name doesn't supply one.
- It is a homophone of the verb read, which occasionally makes for a pun on report cards and in classroom jokes. It passes quickly.
Remington
Strengths
- The spelling is already familiar to nearly every American adult from the typewriter and firearms brands, so it is almost never misspelled or mispronounced.
- Comes with ready-made short forms — Remi, Remy, Rem — each of which works on its own as a full name.
- Works for a boy or a girl without alteration, in the same way surname-names like Harper and Emerson do.
To consider
- The firearms company is the strongest association the name carries for many adults, and some people will mention it. Others will think of the typewriter first, or of nothing in particular. Worth knowing that the connection exists rather than meeting it by surprise.
- It leans toward boys but is genuinely given to girls too, so the name alone will not always tell a teacher or a form-filler which is which. The smaller side of that split is the one likelier to be assumed wrong.
- Ten letters and three syllables is a lot for a young child to write, and Remi or Rem will probably do most of the daily work — which is fine, but it means choosing a short form you can live with as well.
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 Reid and Remington in full.
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Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- One-syllable names: said in a single beat
- Middle names that go with everything
- Strong-sounding names with a hard edge
- Names with nowhere to shorten
- all guides
Where Reid and Remington each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Reid or Remington — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Reid or Remington?
- Reid, in 2025: Reid ranked #293 with 1,150 babies; Remington ranked #307 with 1,105 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Reid or Remington?
- Reid. Over the last five years Reid moved up 23 places; Remington moved down 77 places.
- Which is the older name, Reid or Remington?
- Reid entered the US charts in 1886; Remington entered the US charts in 1955. On the American record, Reid is the older name.
- How many people are named Reid and Remington?
- About 37,500 people named Reid are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 23,500 people named Remington are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Reids or Remingtons in the classroom?
- Reid will almost certainly be the only one in school. Remington 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
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