boys' name ★ peaked 2014

Reed

Meaning Reed may be either a surname or given name Gender Boy · 2% girls Rank 2025 #419 Trend → Stable

Reed may be either a surname or given name.

Rank 2025
#419
among boys · ↑4 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
784
named Reed · +2% vs 2024
How common
1 in 2,218
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2014
1,122 babies
All-time total
36,977
#606 all-time among boys
First recorded
1881
in Social Security records

Reed popularity over time

36,977 babies have been named Reed since 1881, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 76 76 8 – #520
1890s – 137 137 14 +80% #468
1900s – 175 175 18 +28% #467
1910s – 790 790 79 +351% #512
1920s 5 1,227 1,232 123 +56% #508
1930s 5 871 876 88 -29% #569
1940s – 1,385 1,385 139 +58% #414
1950s – 2,494 2,494 249 +80% #436
1960s 10 1,696 1,706 171 -32% #542
1970s 6 1,452 1,458 146 -15% #603
1980s 35 2,206 2,241 224 +54% #576
1990s 250 4,495 4,745 475 +112% #414
2000s 182 5,618 5,800 580 +22% #406
2010s 291 9,014 9,305 931 +60% #318
2020s (to 2025) 137 4,420 4,557 760 -18% #415

Where Reed is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 770 0.45 #417
2027 771 0.45 #416
2028 771 0.45 #416
2029 771 0.45 #416
2030 772 0.45 #415

Where Reed is most popular

Boys named Reed per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.435 per 1,000. Strongest in Montana, Kentucky, and District of Columbia.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Reed born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Montana 24 1.36 +213%
Kentucky 134 1.34 +207%
District of Columbia 18 1.22 +180%
West Virginia 38 1.16 +167%
North Dakota 19 1.11 +156%
Louisiana 99 0.968 +122%
Nebraska 41 0.943 +117%
Idaho 38 0.929 +113%
Oklahoma 80 0.904 +108%
Iowa 61 0.885 +103%
Minnesota 101 0.823 +89%
Wisconsin 97 0.819 +88%
Missouri 111 0.801 +84%
Pennsylvania 212 0.798 +83%
Oregon 60 0.790 +82%
Arkansas 50 0.790 +82%
Tennessee 142 0.787 +81%
Utah 71 0.744 +71%
Kansas 51 0.744 +71%
Maine 14 0.722 +66%
Mississippi 38 0.669 +54%
South Dakota 12 0.645 +48%
Ohio 164 0.619 +42%
Virginia 112 0.590 +36%
Michigan 120 0.586 +35%
Indiana 90 0.561 +29%
New Hampshire 12 0.540 +24%
Maryland 64 0.537 +23%
Washington 78 0.477 +10%
Illinois 116 0.454 ≈ national
Georgia 114 0.450 ≈ national
South Carolina 46 0.445 ≈ national
North Carolina 111 0.435 ≈ national
Colorado 53 0.411 -6%
Arizona 66 0.403 -7%
Alabama 44 0.402 -8%
Connecticut 27 0.399 -8%
Delaware 6 0.396 -9%
New Jersey 71 0.353 -19%
Massachusetts 48 0.349 -20%
Florida 156 0.329 -24%
New York 132 0.305 -30%
Texas 259 0.294 -32%
California 252 0.276 -37%
Alaska – – –
Hawaii – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Reed

Reed is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #419 in 2025 with 770 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1881, 36,977 American babies have been named Reed. Its peak came in 2014, when 1,122 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Reed stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Reed?

The median living Reed is about 19 years old; half are between 9 and 34. An estimated 32 thousand people named Reed are alive in the United States today.

median 19 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Reed year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 14 #7,814 770 #419
2024 22 #5,755 747 #423
2023 24 #5,353 725 #431
2022 18 #6,656 777 #416
2021 27 #4,931 740 #415
2020 32 #4,340 661 #450
2019 28 #4,875 777 #402
2018 34 #4,223 855 #378
2017 20 #6,241 862 #379
2016 38 #3,982 962 #351
2015 37 #4,055 1,045 #331
2014 26 #5,282 1,096 #318
2013 25 #5,450 1,032 #323
2012 25 #5,526 817 #372
2011 34 #4,337 809 #367
2010 24 #5,750 759 #381
2009 22 #6,261 687 #420
2008 18 #7,336 726 #406
2007 15 #8,435 617 #450
2006 19 #6,784 568 #470
2005 16 #7,421 530 #473
2004 13 #8,610 514 #483
2003 15 #7,498 478 #509
2002 18 #6,332 468 #494
2001 22 #5,332 501 #473
2000 24 #4,939 529 #449
1995 28 #3,859 550 #414
1990 – – 238 #656
1985 5 #11,994 230 #579
1980 5 #11,677 198 #621
1975 – – 129 #732
1970 – – 172 #620
1965 – – 157 #612
1960 – – 215 #542
1955 – – 270 #451
1950 – – 204 #468
1945 – – 112 #575
1940 – – 91 #624
1935 5 #4,773 80 #667
1930 – – 105 #589
1925 – – 114 #591
1920 – – 123 #557
1915 – – 101 #567
1910 – – 30 #519
1905 – – 20 #519
1900 – – 14 #694
1895 – – 19 #471
1890 – – 13 #558
1885 – – 6 #919
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Reed

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Reed Hastings Reed Hastings American entrepreneur and education philanthropist (born 1960) Contemporary
  2. 2 Reed Diamond Reed Diamond American actor (born 1967) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Reed, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Reed?

The median living Reed is about 19 years old. Half of all living Reeds are between 9 and 34 years old.

How many people named Reed are alive today?

An estimated 32 thousand people named Reed are alive in the United States, based on 36,977 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Reed mean?

Reed may be either a surname or given name.

How popular is the name Reed in 2025?

Reed ranked #419 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 770 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Reed?

36,977 babies have been named Reed in the United States since 1881, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Reed most popular?

Reed peaked in 2014, when 1,122 newborns received the name.

Is Reed a boy or girl name?

Reed is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 98% of babies with the name.

Is the name Reed rising or falling?

Reed is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Reed become more popular?

Reed looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 772 boys named Reed in 2030, ranking around #415. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Reed?

Well-known people named Reed include Reed Hastings (businessperson), Reed Diamond (actor).

Names like Reed

Names that sound and feel close to Reed: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Reed with similar names → More names starting with R →