Reid is used as a family name or surname in Ireland, Scotland, England. It is 4 characters long in length.

Family Name / Last Name: Reid
No. of characters: 4
Origin: Ireland, Scotland, England
Meaning:

The variant of Reed. 1. Red-allusive to complexion or dress, probably the former. This is a common medieval spelling. "What be tokeneth it whan the sonne gothe downe reed?" Maundevile says of the Red Sea: 'that see is not more reed than another see.' 2. Reed, a parish in Hertfordshire; Reede, another in Suffolk. The Reeds of Cragg, county of Northumber land, probably took their name from Redes dale, in which they have been immemorially located, or rather from the river which gives name to that dale. On a mural monument in Elsdon church, erected in the year 1758, to the memory of Elrington Reed, the family are statedto have been resident in Redesdale for more than nine hundred years. This Sir Walter Scott calls an "incredible space" of time, and so it is; though the high antiquity of the family is unquestionable. See notes to Rokeby.

In the Hundred Rolls, Le Red, and La Red, are very common, as descriptive surnames, for both sexes.

Reid is form of Read. Reed and ReidRed. See - 1. Red-allusive to complexion or dress, probably the former. This is a common medieval spelling. "What be tokeneth it whan the sonne gothe downe reed?" Maundevile says of the Red Sea: 'that see is not more reed than another see.' 2. Reed, a parish in Hertfordshire; Reede, another in Suffolk. The Reeds of Cragg, county of Northumber land, probably took their name from Redes dale, in which they have been immemorially located, or rather from the river which gives name to that dale. On a mural monument in Elsdon church, erected in the year 1758, to the memory of Elrington Reed, the family are statedto have been resident in Redesdale for more than nine hundred years. This Sir Walter Scott calls an "incredible space" of time, and so it is; though the high antiquity of the family is unquestionable. See notes to Rokeby.

In the Hundred Rolls, Le Red, and La Red, are very common, as descriptive surnames, for both sexes.

Reid is a variant of Read. Red, and perhaps sometimes Wood. Provencial Reid means "a very small wood".

Reid is variant of the Reed. The red-haired or ruddy person; one who came from Reed, i.e., reedy or rough growth, in Hertfordshire.

A variant form of Redd. The red-haired or ruddy person.

Surname is a variant of Read. The ruddy or red-haired man; one who came from Read, i.e., roe headland, in Lancashire.

The red-haired or ruddy person; one who came from Reed, i.e., reedy or rough growth, in Hertfordshire.

Red, and perhaps sometimes Wood. Provencial Reid means "a very small wood".

ReedAn old northern pronunciation of red. See - 1. Red-allusive to complexion or dress, probably the former. This is a common medieval spelling. "What be tokeneth it whan the sonne gothe downe reed?" Maundevile says of the Red Sea: 'that see is not more reed than another see.' 2. Reed, a parish in Hertfordshire; Reede, another in Suffolk. The Reeds of Cragg, county of Northumber land, probably took their name from Redes dale, in which they have been immemorially located, or rather from the river which gives name to that dale. On a mural monument in Elsdon church, erected in the year 1758, to the memory of Elrington Reed, the family are statedto have been resident in Redesdale for more than nine hundred years. This Sir Walter Scott calls an "incredible space" of time, and so it is; though the high antiquity of the family is unquestionable. See notes to Rokeby.

In the Hundred Rolls, Le Red, and La Red, are very common, as descriptive surnames, for both sexes.

How popular is Reid?

Reid is common in United States, Canada, England, Australia, Scotland, Jamaica, South Africa, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, Barbados, Panama, Guyana, Thailand, Costa Rica, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Zimbabwe, Dominican Republic, Spain, Germany, Brazil, Belize, Argentina, Cayman Islands, French Polynesia, Chile, Bahamas, France, Bahrain, Vanuatu, Portugal, Philippines, Singapore, India, Malawi, Cuba, Netherlands, Swaziland, Japan, Colombia, American Samoa, Anguilla, Yemen.

Reid is ranked 1564 on our list.

Despite the fact that the number of Reid bearers increased by 7.07 per cent in 2010 US census to 111360 since 2000, the surname slipped by 12 spots and ranked at 275. The last name was found in around 4 per ten thousand population. Please refer to following table for race and ethnicity.

Race 2010 2000
White 59.83 63.24
Black 34.1 32.01
Hispanic or Latino 2.62 1.74
Others 2.28 1.97
Asian and Native Hawaiian
& Other Pacific Islander		 0.61 0.47
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.56 0.57
Reid is quite popular family name mostly used in United States however Jamaica is ahead in terms of density. Around 346413 people have been found who wears Reid as their family name. Reid is used widely across the globe. More detailed information can be found below:
RankCountryCount
Countries with hundred thousands of Reid:
249 United States144,379
Countries with ten thousands of Reid:
37 Canada43,241
161 England37,236
69 Australia33,800
12 Scotland26,220
10 Jamaica26,117
Countries with thousands of Reid:
1,116 South Africa6,125
35 New Zealand5,572
30 Northern Ireland5,205
203 Ireland4,455
156 Trinidad and Tobago1,287
306 Wales1,117
Countries with hundreds of Reid:
71 Barbados927
584 Panama758
168 Guyana696
17,154 Thailand609
480 Costa Rica543
5,492 Sri Lanka439
10,708 Saudi Arabia437
5,588 Zimbabwe427
1,552 Dominican Republic424
9,599 Spain376
27,806 Germany311
27,491 Brazil284
385 Belize213
16,703 Argentina212
50 Cayman Islands210
296 French Polynesia172
3,863 Chile171
330 Bahamas166
59,752 France163
1,494 Bahrain162
485 Vanuatu157
3,598 Portugal151
70,564 Philippines147
1,403 Singapore146
136,722 India134
14,293 Malawi131
2,831 Cuba130
20,548 Netherlands127
513 Swaziland126
20,778 Japan119
6,440 Colombia118
29 American Samoa108
20 Anguilla108
9,308 Yemen103
Countries with low frequency i.e., 50 - 100:
181 Antigua and Barbuda94
135 Jersey93
7,628 Sweden93
9,885 Switzerland92
8,801 United Arab Emirates90
1,712 Honduras85
5,684 Botswana77
23,720 Malaysia63
14,532 Peru60
12,054 Norway59
10,134 Venezuela55
202 Bermuda51
20,676 Mexico51
2,716 Suriname51
Countries with very low frequency i.e., 10 - 50:
158,532 Russia50
335 Isle of Man48
227 Saint Kitts and Nevis45
1,658 China44
79,532 Italy43
2,965 Hong Kong41
27,541 Papua New Guinea41
460 United States Virgin Islands41
12,512 Denmark40
35,124 Belgium38
1,397 Brunei37
7,217 Estonia35
718 Saint Lucia34
14,967 Kuwait29
538 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines29
3,400 Cyprus28
15,017 Iraq26
3,610 Sudan25
767 Guernsey22
178 Turks and Caicos Islands21
22,464 Finland18
29 Falkland Islands17
16,331 Liberia16
64,682 Czechia15
80,079 Greece15
41,023 Israel15
2,493 Vietnam15
15,575 Afghanistan14
674 South Korea14
372,576 Indonesia13
237,812 Nigeria13
138,820 Iran12
Countries with very very low frequency i.e., 6 - 10:
366 British Virgin Islands10
741 Gibraltar10
835 Grenada10
11,823 Haiti10
394 Dominica9
30,726 Qatar9
479 Samoa9
577 Cook Islands8
17,989 Taiwan8
134,647 Turkey8
83,128 Belarus7
18,425 Georgia7
710 Greenland7
17,336 Slovenia7
26,148 Ecuador6
72,091 Tanzania6
Show Full Last Name Distribution

Immigrants to US

From Ireland

Samuel Reid was 29 years old when he migrated to New-York during Irish famine on May 25, 1846. He lived in Ireland where he worked as weaver and took Marmion from Liverpool. Weaver John Reid, Thomas Reid (20) Clerk, 45 years old George Reid, Frances Reid, aged 40, Frances Reid, Weaver William Reid, Mary Reid, aged 24, Margret Reid (40) Spinster, Spinster Mary-Ann Reid, and 372 other Reid around 50.7% of whom were workman while others worked as clerk and spinster, servant, merchant, maltster, servant, boatman, carpenter migrated to US.

From Germany

Farmer Johanna Reid from Schweinfurt, Germany aboard the Hermine from Bremen. She is registered to be 28 years old when she arrived in USA on November 19, 1850. 18 years old Frederic Reid, 30 years old Jacob Reid, 37 years old Eduard Reid, Carl Reid, aged 31, Carol Reid, Oath. Reid (29), Servant Regina Reid, August Reid, aged 5, and 41 other Reid around 33.33% of whom were farmer while others worked as laborer and merchant, spinster migrated to US from Havre, Bremen, Hamburg and Antwerp.

Reid Namesakes

  • Richard Gavin Reid, Canadian politician
  • George Reid, Australian politician
  • Jimmy Reid, Scottish trade union activist, orator
  • Robert R. Reid, fourth territorial governor of Florida
  • Forrest Reid, Irish novelist, literary critic and translator
  • Thomas Wemyss Reid, English newspaper editor, novelist and biographer
  • Christopher Reid, Hong Kong-born British poet, essayist, cartoonist
  • John Mercer Reid, former Information Commissioner of Canada
  • H. Reid, American writer, photographer, and historian
  • Hugo Reid, early resident of Los Angeles County who became a naturalized citizen of California and
  • Elizabeth Jesser Reid, English social reformer
  • Robert Gillespie Reid, Scottish railway contractor most famous for building large railway bridges
  • A. J. Reid, (ca 1909
  • Darrel Reid, Canadian policy advisor
  • James Randolph Reid, American soldier in the Revolutionary War
  • Robert Lewis Reid, American Impressionist painter and muralist
  • John Dowsley Reid, Canadian businessman, physician
  • Jacque Reid, American television and radio personality and journalist
  • John C. W. Reid, farmer and politician in Manitoba, Canada
  • Alastair Reid, Scottish poet and a scholar of South American literature
  • Graeme Reid, member of the national team that won the silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics
  • Gayla Reid, Australian-born Canadian writer
  • Reg Reid, Professional Hockey player
  • Lefty Reid, former curator of the Hockey Hall of Fame, based
  • D. C. Reid, Canadian poet, novelist and short story writer
  • Death of Samantha Reid, American manslaughter victim
  • William Allan Reid, British Conservative Party politician
  • Tracy Reid, former professional WNBA basketball player
  • Meston Reid, Scottish opera singer and actor
  • Clement Reid, British geologist and palaeobotanist
  • Chip Reid, Charles Henry "Chip" Reid Jr
  • Harold Reid,
  • Philip Reid, African American master craftsman and artisan
  • R. D. Reid, Canadian character actor
  • Daniel G. Reid, American industrialist and philanthropist known as the "Tinplate King"
  • Charles C. Reid, U.S. Representative from Arkansas
  • Ace Reid, creator of the cartoon 'Cowpokes' and Western humorist
  • G. Archdall Reid, Scottish physician
  • T. J. Reid, Irish hurler
  • Thomas Reid, religiously trained British philosopher
  • Harry Fielding Reid, American geophysicist
  • Miles Reid, mathematician who works in algebraic geometry
  • Heather Reid, Scottish meteorologist, physicist
  • Bill Reid, Canadian artist whose works include jewelry
  • Richard Reid, British terrorist
  • Duke Reid, Jamaican record producer, DJ and label owner
  • Peter Reid, English football manager
  • Terry Reid, English rock vocalist and guitarist
  • Jamie Reid, English artist and anarchist with connections to the Situationists
  • Harry Reid, retired American politician
  • David Settle Reid, 32nd Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1851 to 1854 and a U.S. Senator
  • Escott Reid, Canadian diplomat
  • Tara Reid, American actress
  • Frances Reid, American dramatic actress

Reid Namesakes

  • Richard Gavin Reid, Canadian politician
  • George Reid, Australian politician
  • Jimmy Reid, Scottish trade union activist, orator
  • Robert R. Reid, fourth territorial governor of Florida
  • Forrest Reid, Irish novelist, literary critic and translator
  • Thomas Wemyss Reid, English newspaper editor, novelist and biographer
  • Christopher Reid, Hong Kong-born British poet, essayist, cartoonist
  • John Mercer Reid, former Information Commissioner of Canada
  • H. Reid, American writer, photographer, and historian
  • Hugo Reid, early resident of Los Angeles County who became a naturalized citizen of California and
  • Elizabeth Jesser Reid, English social reformer
  • Robert Gillespie Reid, Scottish railway contractor most famous for building large railway bridges
  • A. J. Reid, (ca 1909
  • Darrel Reid, Canadian policy advisor
  • James Randolph Reid, American soldier in the Revolutionary War
  • Robert Lewis Reid, American Impressionist painter and muralist
  • John Dowsley Reid, Canadian businessman, physician
  • Jacque Reid, American television and radio personality and journalist
  • John C. W. Reid, farmer and politician in Manitoba, Canada
  • Alastair Reid, Scottish poet and a scholar of South American literature
  • Graeme Reid, member of the national team that won the silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics
  • Gayla Reid, Australian-born Canadian writer
  • Reg Reid, Professional Hockey player
  • Lefty Reid, former curator of the Hockey Hall of Fame, based
  • D. C. Reid, Canadian poet, novelist and short story writer
  • Death of Samantha Reid, American manslaughter victim
  • William Allan Reid, British Conservative Party politician
  • Tracy Reid, former professional WNBA basketball player
  • Meston Reid, Scottish opera singer and actor
  • Clement Reid, British geologist and palaeobotanist
  • Chip Reid, Charles Henry "Chip" Reid Jr
  • Harold Reid,
  • Philip Reid, African American master craftsman and artisan
  • R. D. Reid, Canadian character actor
  • Daniel G. Reid, American industrialist and philanthropist known as the "Tinplate King"
  • Charles C. Reid, U.S. Representative from Arkansas
  • Ace Reid, creator of the cartoon 'Cowpokes' and Western humorist
  • G. Archdall Reid, Scottish physician
  • T. J. Reid, Irish hurler
  • Thomas Reid, religiously trained British philosopher
  • Harry Fielding Reid, American geophysicist
  • Miles Reid, mathematician who works in algebraic geometry
  • Heather Reid, Scottish meteorologist, physicist
  • Bill Reid, Canadian artist whose works include jewelry
  • Richard Reid, British terrorist
  • Duke Reid, Jamaican record producer, DJ and label owner
  • Peter Reid, English football manager
  • Terry Reid, English rock vocalist and guitarist
  • Jamie Reid, English artist and anarchist with connections to the Situationists
  • Harry Reid, retired American politician
  • David Settle Reid, 32nd Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1851 to 1854 and a U.S. Senator
  • Escott Reid, Canadian diplomat
  • Tara Reid, American actress
  • Frances Reid, American dramatic actress

Related Family Names: