boy's name
Reef
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 4
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 1,778
Reef is a boy's name with 1 syllable. In 2025 it was given to 61 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
- Peaked in 2021, when 89 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 54,351 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1996.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Reef over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1990s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1990s | 30 |
| 2000s | 311 |
| 2010s | 598 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 414 |
How popular is Reef?
In 2025, Reef was given to 61 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Reef is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Reef
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Reef also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Reef over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Sibling names for Reef
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Reef — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Reef
How popular is the name Reef?
In 2025, Reef was given to 61 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Reef a girl's or a boy's name?
Reef is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Reef?
Reef has 1 syllable.
When was Reef most popular?
Reef peaked in 2021, when 89 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Reef a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Reef currently ranks #2,515 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.