Reda
An Arabic unisex name meaning "servant of God".
Name Census estimates that about 1,163 living Americans carry the first name Reda. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 83.7% of registrations being female. The average person named Reda today is around 52 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Reda births was 1955 (67 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Reda. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Reda was once a predominantly female name but has become increasingly popular for boys in recent decades.
People living today
1.2K
~ 1 in 294,716 Americans
Peak year
1955
67 babies that year
Average age
52
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,141
Tracked since 1904
Gender
Gender distribution for Reda
Reda leans heavily female at 83.7% of total registrations, but 358 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Reda as a male name
- Ranked #7,141 in 2024
- 12 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2008 (23 births)
Reda as a female name
- Ranked #16,430 in 2012
- 6 female births in 2012
- Peak: 1955 (67 births)
Popularity
Reda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Reda from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 483 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Reda by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Reda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Redas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 12 states and territories. Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee recorded the most babies named Reda, while Oklahoma, Ohio, Virginia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 28 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Reda
The name Reda is believed to have originated from the Arabic language, with its roots tracing back to the Middle East and North Africa regions during the medieval period. It is derived from the Arabic word "radda," which means "to repel" or "to drive back," suggesting a strong and protective connotation.
Reda was a popular name among Arabs during the early Islamic era, particularly in the 7th and 8th centuries. It is mentioned in several historical texts and records from that time, including Islamic chronicles and biographical accounts of notable figures. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Reda is found in the writings of the renowned Arab historian and scholar, Al-Tabari (838-923 CE), who documented the lives of prominent individuals from the early Islamic era.
In the 9th century, Reda al-Qaysari (790-865 CE) was a renowned Sufi mystic and scholar from Qaysariyah, in present-day Turkey. He was known for his profound spiritual teachings and his contributions to the development of Islamic mysticism.
During the 11th century, Reda al-Din al-Hafizi (1008-1088 CE) was a celebrated Persian poet and scholar from Nishapur, in modern-day Iran. His works, which included poetry and literary criticism, were highly regarded and influential in the Persian literary tradition.
In the 12th century, Reda al-Din Ibn al-Furat (1136-1211 CE) was a prominent Syrian historian and jurist who served as the chief judge of Damascus. His historical writings, which documented the events and personalities of his time, are considered valuable sources for understanding the social and political landscape of the Ayyubid period.
Another notable figure bearing the name Reda was Reda Bey (1858-1918), an Egyptian military officer and politician who played a significant role in the nationalist movement against British colonial rule in Egypt during the early 20th century. He served as the Prime Minister of Egypt from 1918 until his death later that year.
While these are just a few examples, the name Reda has been carried by numerous individuals throughout history, reflecting its enduring presence and cultural significance within the Arab and Islamic world.
People
Reda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Reda as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Reda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Reda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,163 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Reda going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 294,716 US residents.
Is Reda a common name?
We classify Reda as "Rare". It ranks above 91.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,201 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Reda most popular?
The single biggest year for Reda was 1955, when 67 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Reda is about 52 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Reda a female name?
Yes, 83.7% of people registered as Reda in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.