Reid
Masculine · Old English roots · “red-haired or ruddy-complexioned”
Reid is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 40,791 boys against 992 girls since 1880. See Reid as a girl name
Reid began as a Scottish and northern English surname for someone red-haired or ruddy-faced, and it is still one of the familiar surnames of Scotland. It is a single syllable that lands cleanly — one beat, four letters, nothing to trim. It has been used as a first name in America since the nineteenth century, quietly and without much interruption.
How old is the name Reid?
Reid first appears in US birth records in 1886 — 139 years ago. The typical Reid alive today was born around 2009, making them about 16 years old. About 37,500 people named Reid are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Reid most popular?
Reid peaked in 2016, reaching #258 nationally. Today it ranks #293, 35 places below that high. See the whole 2016 chart.
Where it comes from
From rēad (Old English, 'red') to Reid
The story of Reid
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. Like many British surnames, it crossed the Atlantic with families rather than as a first name, and only later followed the long American habit of moving a family name to the front. It has been given to boys in the United States since the late nineteenth century.
Meaning
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.
How the name formed
- rēadOld English, 'red'
- read / reidMiddle English and Scots byname
- ReidScottish surname
- Reidgiven name
Related forms: Reid · Reed · Read · Reade
Pronouncing Reid
REED
One syllable, rhyming with need. Identical in sound to the word reed and to read in the present tense.
Nicknames for Reid
Limited
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1886
- Most boys named
- 20141,432 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #258reached in 2016
- Change vs 2022
- +10.6%1,150 in 2025, from 1,040
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Reid in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Reid in Scots — same name
- Reed in English — spelling variant
- Read in English — spelling variant
- Reade in English — spelling variant
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, Ohio.
Reids among us
people named Reid are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 1,485 born in 2025 was named Reid
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Marquis test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Reid's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Marquis climbed just as high around 1990, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Marquis's path sketches the road Reid is walking now.
Reid sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Reid is headed
Reid should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Reid beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Reid in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- 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.
- Familiar to American ears without being a name a child is likely to share in a classroom.
- Reads as a plain surname-name, which keeps it at home in formal settings as easily as informal ones.
- 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.
- In US records it is used almost entirely for boys, so a girl named Reid would be reading against the grain of the paperwork, though the surname itself has never belonged to one sex.
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What they receive
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Reid
Masculine · Old English roots · #293 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Reids are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 37,500 people named Reid are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Reid in 2025?
- Reid ranks #293 among US boy names in 2025, with 1,150 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Reid?
- About 1 in every 1,485 US boys born in 2025 was named Reid — 1,150 in all.
- Will my child share the name Reid with classmates?
- Reid will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Reid
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Jeremy#292 · Kenneth#294 · Avery#291 · Kaleb#295 · Kohen#295 · Ares#290 · Holden#297 · Lennox#289
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Reid? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Reid and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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