Reynolds
Masculine · “Counsel-ruler”
Reynolds is given to both — 1,674 boys and 131 girls since 1880. See other names given to both
Reynolds is a Germanic ruler's name that went through Norman French, became an English surname, and then — for one Victorian generation — a first name. Behind it stand ragin, counsel, and wald, rule: the person who governs by taking advice.
How old is the name Reynolds?
Reynolds first appears in US birth records in 1888 — 137 years ago. The typical Reynolds alive today was born around 1950, making them about 75 years old. About 900 people named Reynolds are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Reynolds most popular?
Reynolds peaked in 1901, reaching #858 nationally. Today it ranks #5208, 4,350 places below that high. See the whole 1901 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Raginwald to Reynolds
The story of Reynolds
Raginwald was a common Frankish name, and the Normans brought Reinald to England in 1066, where it became Reynold and stayed ordinary through the Middle Ages before fading as a first name. The surname outlived it comfortably, and the painter Sir Joshua Reynolds, first president of the Royal Academy, gave it real prestige in the eighteenth century. American families used surnames as first names heavily either side of 1900, and Reynolds peaked in 1901 in that wave. It has been rare since, and Burt Reynolds and Ryan Reynolds have kept the word thoroughly in the surname column.
Meaning
Counsel-ruler
From the Germanic name Raginwald, from ragin, counsel or judgment, and wald, rule. Norman French made it Reinald and Reynaud, English made it Reynold, and the surname Reynolds is the patronymic of that. The same root gives Reginald and the Norse Rögnvaldr. The etymology is standard.
How the name formed
- Raginwald
- Reinald
- Reynold
- Reynolds
Related forms: Reinhold · Renaud · Rinaldo · Rögnvaldr · Reginald
Pronouncing Reynolds
REN-uldz
Two syllables, stress on the first; the ey is a short e, not a long a. RAY-nolds is a common misreading.
Nicknames for Reynolds
Moderate
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
- 1888
- Most boys named
- 191730 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #858reached in 1901
- Change vs 2023
- −10.0%18 in 2025, from 20
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.
Reynolds in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Reinhold in German — related form
- Renaud in French — related form
- Rinaldo in Italian — related form
- Rögnvaldr in Old Norse — related form
- Reginald in English — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Georgia.
Reynoldss among us
people named Reynolds are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 94,893 born in 2025 was named Reynolds
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Reynolds 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
Reynolds beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Reynolds in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The Germanic root is well documented and the meaning is flattering.
- Reggie, Rey and Reyn all work as everyday forms.
- Nobody will find it hard to say.
- The final s makes it read as a surname even more strongly than most surname names.
- It will be assumed to be a last name on every form.
- Reginald, Reynold and Reynaldo are all shorter roads to the same root.
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Reynolds
Masculine · #5208 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Reynoldss are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 900 people named Reynolds are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Reynolds in 2025?
- Reynolds ranks #5208 among US boy names in 2025, with 18 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Reynolds?
- About 1 in every 94,893 US boys born in 2025 was named Reynolds — 18 in all.
- Will my child share the name Reynolds with classmates?
- Reynolds will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Reynolds
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Rodger#5208 · Eusebio#5208 · Boy#5208 · Randal#5208 · Gable#5208 · Jessy#5208 · Kelby#5208 · Jens#5208
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Reynolds? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Reynolds and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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