2000
#11,340
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,555
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Reda
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who dyed fabric using a red dye.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,326 Americans carry the last name Reda. That puts it at #10,549 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,053 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Reda surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Reda with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 103,053
Census rank
#10,549
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,900 bearers of the surname Reda in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10549th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Reda, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) and Hispanic (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Reda
The surname REDA is believed to have originated in Italy, specifically in the regions of Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy. The name is thought to be derived from the Latin word "redire," which means "to return" or "to come back." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who had returned from a journey or a pilgrimage.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name REDA can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Laudense, a collection of documents from the city of Lodi in Lombardy, dating back to the 12th century. The name appears as "Reda" in these records.
In the 13th century, the name REDA was mentioned in the Estimo della Città di Bologna, a tax register from the city of Bologna in Emilia-Romagna. This indicates that the name was established in this region during this time period.
The name REDA has also been associated with various place names in Italy, such as Reda, a town in the province of Forlì-Cesena in Emilia-Romagna, and Redavalle, a village in the province of Pavia in Lombardy.
Notable individuals with the surname REDA throughout history include:
1. Giovanni Reda (1420-1492), an Italian painter and architect from Bologna, known for his work on the Basilica of San Petronio in Bologna.
2. Giulio Reda (1540-1615), an Italian Jesuit scholar and theologian from Milan.
3. Francesco Reda (1720-1785), an Italian architect and engineer from Naples, known for his work on the Royal Palace of Caserta.
4. Aldo Reda (1885-1966), an Italian journalist and writer from Rome, known for his books on Italian culture and history.
5. Gabriele Reda (1905-1969), an Italian politician and member of the Italian Communist Party, who served as a deputy in the Italian parliament.
The name REDA has been documented in various historical records across Italy, reflecting its long-standing presence in the regions of Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy, as well as its association with notable individuals from different fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reda
Among Census respondents with the surname Reda, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) and Hispanic (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Reda bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Reda surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.3% · 2,359
- Black or African American10.7% · 310
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 166
- Two or more races1.7% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Reda
Reda appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#10,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,919
+364 bearers (+14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Up 433 places
2020
#10,549
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,900
-19 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Up 358 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,340 | 2,555 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,907 | 2,919 | 0.99 | +364 bearers (+14.2%) | Up 433 places |
| 2020 | #10,549 | 2,900 | 0.97 | -19 bearers (-0.7%) | Up 358 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Reda surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #10,907 | #10,549 | 3.3% |
| Count | 2,919 | 2,900 | -0.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 0.97 | -2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Reda bearers went from 2,919 to 2,900 (-0.7% change). The surname moved up 358 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,907 to #10,549.
FAQ
Reda surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Reda?
Name Census estimates that about 3,326 living Americans carry the surname Reda. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,053 residents.
How common is Reda?
Reda ranks #10,549 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,900 people with the surname Reda. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,326), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Reda.
Has Reda become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Reda went from 2,919 recorded bearers to 2,900. That is a decrease of 19 (-0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,907 to #10,549.
What does the Census say about the background of Reda?
Among Census respondents with the surname Reda, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) and Hispanic (5.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Reda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.3% (2,359 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Reda appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.3%), Black (10.7%), Hispanic (5.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Reda (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Reda mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who dyed fabric using a red dye. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Reda (0.97 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Reda?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.