2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Reedman
A surname indicating a person who worked with reeds for thatching or basket-weaving.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Reedman. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Reedman 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 Reedman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Reedman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Reedman, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Black (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Reedman
The surname REEDMAN is an English occupational name that originated in the late Middle Ages. It derived from the Old English words 'reed' and 'mann', meaning a man who harvested reeds or worked with reeds, a common material used for thatching roofs and making baskets.
REEDMAN is first documented in records from the 13th century, with early spellings including Redman, Redeman, and Reydman. The name was particularly prevalent in areas with extensive wetlands and marshes, such as the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Lincolnshire in eastern England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a Roger Redeman in Oxfordshire. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 mention a John Redman in Cambridgeshire.
The REEDMAN name can also be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, the great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror. It is recorded as a place name, Redmane, in Suffolk, likely referring to a homestead or settlement associated with a person bearing the occupational surname.
Notable individuals with the surname REEDMAN throughout history include:
1. William Reedman (c. 1505-1558), an English Protestant reformer and Bishop of Norwich.
2. John Reedman (1592-1656), an English clergyman and author of religious works.
3. Thomas Reedman (1777-1846), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars.
4. Mary Reedman (1822-1897), an English philanthropist and advocate for women's education.
5. Edward Reedman (1832-1904), a prominent British architect known for designing churches and public buildings in the Gothic Revival style.
While the REEDMAN name originated as an occupational surname, it later became a hereditary family name passed down through generations. The name's connection to the reed-harvesting trade reflects the importance of this natural resource in the daily lives and livelihoods of medieval English communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reedman
Among Census respondents with the surname Reedman, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Black (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Reedman 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 Reedman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.4% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino8.0% · 9
- Black or African American2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Reedman
Reedman 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
+1 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 9,104 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+10 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,478 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | +1 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 9,104 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 10,478 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 Reedman 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 | #158,432 | #147,954 | 6.6% |
| Count | 102 | 112 | 9.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 24.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Reedman bearers went from 102 to 112 (+9.8% change). The surname moved up 10,478 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #147,954.
FAQ
Reedman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Reedman?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Reedman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Reedman?
Reedman ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Reedman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Reedman.
Has Reedman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Reedman went from 102 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 10 (+9.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Reedman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Reedman, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Black (2.7%). 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 Reedman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Reedman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.4%), Hispanic (8.0%), Black (2.7%). 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 Reedman (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 Reedman mean?
A surname indicating a person who worked with reeds for thatching or basket-weaving. 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 Reedman (0.04 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 share the surname Reedman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.