Redeem
To gain or regain possession of something in exchange for payment.
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Redeem. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Redeem today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Redeem births was 2019 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Redeem. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Redeem. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2019
6 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2019 SSA rank
#11,827
Tracked since 2019
Popularity
Redeem: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Redeem 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 Redeem during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Redeem
The name Redeem is derived from the Latin word "redimere," which means "to buy back" or "to ransom." It is closely related to the concept of redemption, which is a central theme in many religions and belief systems.
In Christianity, the name Redeem is associated with the idea of being saved from sin through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The Bible mentions the concept of redemption numerous times, such as in the book of Ephesians, which states, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace."
The earliest known use of the name Redeem dates back to the 16th century, when it was occasionally given to children as a symbolic name to express their parents' hope for their salvation or deliverance from sin.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Redeem was Redeem Compton, an English Puritan who lived in the 17th century. He was a notable figure in the religious and political upheavals of that time.
Another historical figure with the name Redeem was Redeem Pinder, an African-American abolitionist and minister who lived in the 19th century. He was a prominent advocate for the abolition of slavery and the rights of African Americans.
In the 20th century, Redeem Rowe was a British artist and writer known for his works exploring themes of spirituality and redemption. He was born in 1915 and died in 1994.
Redeem Merritt was an American civil rights activist who played a significant role in the struggle for racial equality in the United States during the 1960s. He was born in 1924 and passed away in 2005.
More recently, Redeem Bhakthi was an Indian social worker and activist who dedicated her life to empowering marginalized communities. She was born in 1948 and died in 2018.
While not as common as some other names, Redeem has been used throughout history as a powerful symbol of hope, deliverance, and spiritual renewal.
People
Redeem + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Redeem 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
Redeem: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Redeem?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Redeem 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Redeem a common name?
We classify Redeem as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Redeem most popular?
The single biggest year for Redeem was 2019, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Redeem is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Redeem in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Redeem a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Redeem in the SSA data are male. 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.
Is Redeem still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Redeem in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Redeem can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Redeem as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.