Reed
- Gender
- Boy
- UK rank, 2025
- #2,511 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #417 for boys
Reed is a boys' name, meaning “to clear out”. In 2025 it ranked 2,511th for boys in the UK (9 babies) and 417th for boys in the US (770 babies).
What does Reed mean?
“to clear out”
A unisex given name transferred from the surname.
From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Is Reed a girl's or a boy's name?
Reed is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 9 boys in the UK and 14 girls and 770 boys in the US.
How popular is Reed in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 2,511th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 9 about 1 in 33,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising up 34% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 9 boys in the UK were named Reed, making it the 2,511th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,185th. Its busiest year was 2012, with 18 boys.
2025 had fewer boys named Reed than any year since 2018.
Half of all the boys named Reed in the UK since 1996 were born between 2007 and 2020. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
In 2025, 12 boys in the UK were given Reed or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,763, up from #2,511 for this spelling alone.
- Reed 9
- Redd 3
In 2019, 8% of the babies named Reed in the UK were girls.
Among boys in 2025, it was 2,436th in England and Wales.
Reed in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9 | #2,511 |
| 2024 | 16 | #1,664 |
| 2023 | 14 | #1,812 |
| 2022 | 14 | #1,789 |
| 2021 | 18 | #1,481 |
| 2020 | 10 | #2,185 |
| 2019 | 12 | #1,974 |
| 2018 | 7 | #2,823 |
| 2017 | 17 | #1,563 |
| 2016 | 16 | #1,655 |
| 2015 | 15 | #1,693 |
| 2014 | 11 | #2,054 |
| 2013 | 17 | #1,493 |
| 2012 | 18 | #1,478 |
| 2011 | 12 | #1,890 |
| 2010 | 7 | #2,775 |
| 2009 | 8 | #2,445 |
| 2008 | 13 | #1,696 |
| 2007 | 11 | #1,848 |
| 2006 | 5 | #3,013 |
| 2005 | 6 | #2,545 |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 4 | #2,990 |
| 2002 | 7 | #1,900 |
| 2001 | 13 | #1,209 |
| 2000 | 8 | #1,637 |
| 1999 | 6 | #1,941 |
| 1998 | 7 | #1,727 |
| 1997 | 8 | #1,532 |
| 1996 | 11 | #1,215 |
How popular is Reed in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 417th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 770 about 1 in 2,200 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 2% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 770 boys in the US were named Reed, making it the 417th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 450th. Its busiest year was 2014, with 1,096 boys. It first appears in the records in 1881. 14 girls were also named Reed in 2025 (7,489th for girls).
Half of all the boys named Reed in the US since 1880 were born between 1970 and 2014, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 798 boys in the US were given Reed or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #408, up from #417 for this spelling alone.
Reed in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 770 | #417 |
| 2024 | 747 | #422 |
| 2023 | 725 | #430 |
| 2022 | 777 | #415 |
| 2021 | 740 | #415 |
| 2020 | 661 | #450 |
| 2019 | 777 | #402 |
| 2018 | 855 | #376 |
| 2017 | 862 | #379 |
| 2016 | 962 | #351 |
| 2015 | 1,045 | #330 |
| 2014 | 1,096 | #318 |
| 2013 | 1,032 | #322 |
| 2012 | 817 | #371 |
| 2011 | 809 | #367 |
| 2010 | 759 | #381 |
| 2009 | 687 | #419 |
| 2008 | 726 | #405 |
| 2007 | 617 | #450 |
| 2006 | 568 | #470 |
| 2005 | 530 | #472 |
| 2004 | 514 | #483 |
| 2003 | 478 | #508 |
| 2002 | 468 | #493 |
| 2001 | 501 | #472 |
| 2000 | 529 | #449 |
| 1999 | 558 | #423 |
| 1998 | 524 | #437 |
| 1997 | 504 | #445 |
| 1996 | 532 | #422 |
| 1995 | 550 | #414 |
| 1994 | 509 | #442 |
| 1993 | 437 | #481 |
| 1992 | 367 | #528 |
| 1991 | 276 | #613 |
| 1990 | 238 | #653 |
| 1989 | 226 | #663 |
| 1988 | 255 | #576 |
| 1987 | 240 | #584 |
| 1986 | 233 | #582 |
| 1985 | 230 | #578 |
| 1984 | 204 | #592 |
| 1983 | 207 | #592 |
| 1982 | 217 | #586 |
| 1981 | 196 | #610 |
| 1980 | 198 | #620 |
| 1979 | 141 | #729 |
| 1978 | 191 | #603 |
| 1977 | 145 | #706 |
| 1976 | 141 | #697 |
| 1975 | 129 | #730 |
| 1974 | 147 | #668 |
| 1973 | 136 | #683 |
| 1972 | 121 | #724 |
| 1971 | 129 | #727 |
| 1970 | 172 | #619 |
| 1969 | 154 | #641 |
| 1968 | 142 | #637 |
| 1967 | 148 | #615 |
| 1966 | 153 | #601 |
| 1965 | 157 | #610 |
| 1964 | 185 | #581 |
| 1963 | 166 | #609 |
| 1962 | 197 | #563 |
| 1961 | 179 | #590 |
| 1960 | 215 | #542 |
| 1959 | 197 | #552 |
| 1958 | 252 | #491 |
| 1957 | 283 | #458 |
| 1956 | 282 | #450 |
| 1955 | 270 | #450 |
| 1954 | 252 | #456 |
| 1953 | 263 | #437 |
| 1952 | 250 | #447 |
| 1951 | 241 | #434 |
| 1950 | 204 | #467 |
| 1949 | 268 | #411 |
| 1948 | 172 | #503 |
| 1947 | 160 | #532 |
| 1946 | 135 | #548 |
| 1945 | 112 | #572 |
| 1944 | 109 | #589 |
| 1943 | 111 | #600 |
| 1942 | 131 | #532 |
| 1941 | 96 | #613 |
| 1940 | 91 | #622 |
| 1939 | 73 | #695 |
| 1938 | 98 | #597 |
| 1937 | 67 | #742 |
| 1936 | 78 | #669 |
| 1935 | 80 | #663 |
| 1934 | 87 | #642 |
| 1933 | 86 | #624 |
| 1932 | 89 | #632 |
| 1931 | 108 | #565 |
| 1930 | 105 | #584 |
| 1929 | 112 | #557 |
| 1928 | 120 | #558 |
| 1927 | 109 | #592 |
| 1926 | 144 | #506 |
| 1925 | 114 | #588 |
| 1924 | 108 | #613 |
| 1923 | 119 | #572 |
| 1922 | 136 | #537 |
| 1921 | 142 | #521 |
| 1920 | 123 | #551 |
| 1919 | 104 | #587 |
| 1918 | 123 | #541 |
| 1917 | 127 | #509 |
| 1916 | 100 | #574 |
| 1915 | 101 | #562 |
| 1914 | 66 | #622 |
| 1913 | 67 | #523 |
| 1912 | 43 | #635 |
| 1911 | 29 | #562 |
| 1910 | 30 | #512 |
| 1909 | 16 | #679 |
| 1908 | 18 | #613 |
| 1907 | 18 | #591 |
| 1906 | 19 | #523 |
| 1905 | 20 | #507 |
| 1904 | 17 | #538 |
| 1903 | 21 | #451 |
| 1902 | 21 | #460 |
| 1901 | 11 | #637 |
| 1900 | 14 | #679 |
| 1899 | 9 | #714 |
| 1898 | 20 | #452 |
| 1897 | 12 | #615 |
| 1896 | 16 | #518 |
| 1895 | 19 | #456 |
| 1894 | 12 | #594 |
| 1893 | 11 | #615 |
| 1892 | 15 | #525 |
| 1891 | 10 | #597 |
| 1890 | 13 | #533 |
| 1889 | 12 | #549 |
| 1888 | 15 | #505 |
| 1887 | 5 | #921 |
| 1886 | 5 | #959 |
| 1885 | 6 | #835 |
| 1884 | 9 | #663 |
| 1883 | 7 | #720 |
| 1882 | 9 | #652 |
| 1881 | 8 | #653 |
Names like Reed
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Myles, Roman, Noah, Raphael, Blake, Austin, Jude, Rory, Elijah, Hunter, Sonny, Rafe
Other spellings of Reed
Names related to Reed
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Reed: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/reed, updated 20 October 2026.