Reed

Where Reed comes from

* As an English and Scottish surname, from the adjective red. * Also as an English surname, from Old English rēodan (“to clear out”), from Proto-West Germanic *reudan. * Also as an English surname, from several places in England, such as Reed, Lancashire (from Old English ra (“roe deer”) or Rede, Suffolk (see Rede). Compare Rider, Reader.
— Wiktionary's entry for Reed
  • From a surname
  • 1 syllable
Along the way
  1. 1881
    First appearance
    #653 among boys, 8 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
  2. 1960
    Reed Hastings born
    American entrepreneur and education philanthropist
  3. 1967
    Reed Diamond born
    American actor
  4. 2014
    Peak, #318
    1,096 babies named Reed — more than any year before or since.
In the dictionary
  • A unisex given name transferred from the surname.
Namesakes
  • Reed Diamond · American actor, born 1967
  • Reed Hastings · American entrepreneur and education philanthropist, born 1960
  • Reed Hadley · American actor, 1911–1974
  • Reed Owen Smoot · United States Senator and LDS Apostle, 1862–1941
  • Reed Birney · American actor, born 1954

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.