boy's name
Reid
REED
- Origin Scottish
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 48,234
the United States
#293
2025 births
Reid means red, and it is the Scots spelling of the color — a byname for someone with red hair or a ruddy complexion, which is why it charts across six markets that all had Scots settlement.
- Reid is a name of Scottish origin.
- Peaked in 2014, when 1,464 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,800 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1886.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Reid over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 11 |
| 1890s | 64 |
| 1900s | 71 |
| 1910s | 362 |
| 1920s | 729 |
| 1930s | 505 |
| 1940s | 886 |
| 1950s | 1,771 |
| 1960s | 1,365 |
| 1970s | 1,637 |
| 1980s | 2,876 |
| 1990s | 5,023 |
| 2000s | 6,745 |
| 2010s | 12,992 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 6,746 |
What Reid means
Reid means red, describing hair or complexion. It is a physical byname, so it records how someone looked rather than any quality of character, which was among the commonest sources of hereditary surnames in Europe.
Where Reid comes from
Reid is the Scots form of red, from the Old English read, used as a byname for the red-haired or ruddy. Reed and Read are the same word under English spellings, and Roy from the Gaelic ruadh means the same thing again — three languages producing three surnames for one observation. Color bynames were among the commonest sources of hereditary surnames anywhere in Europe.
Reid in use
Reid peaked in the United States in 2014, when 1,464 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It charts in six of the seven markets we track — 290th in Canada, 293rd in the United States on 1,184 births, 422nd in Ireland on 9, 424th in England and Wales on 95, 464th in Scotland on 7 and 472nd in Northern Ireland — across 48,234 lifetime births. England and Wales set its own peak in the most recent year we hold.
How popular is Reid?
In 2025, Reid was given to 1,184 babies in the United States, ranking #293 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Reid 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 Reid
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Reid also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Reid over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Reid in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Reid
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Reid — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Reid
What does the name Reid mean?
Red — the Scots spelling, describing hair or complexion.
Is Reed the same name?
Yes, and so is Read. Roy from the Gaelic ruadh means the same again.
Why so many red surnames?
Color bynames were among the commonest sources of hereditary surnames in Europe.
Where is Reid used?
Five of our six markets, strongest in the United States at 293rd.
How popular is the name Reid?
In 2025, Reid was given to 1,184 babies in the United States, ranking #293 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Reid a girl's or a boy's name?
Reid is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Reid?
Reid has 1 syllable.
When was Reid most popular?
Reid peaked in 2014, when 1,464 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
Is Reid a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Reid currently ranks #290 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.