2000
#263
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104,007
First available Census row
Per 100,000 38.56
Common Last name
Reid
A surname of Scottish and English origin, derived from a nickname meaning "red-haired" or "ruddy-complexioned."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125,308 Americans carry the last name Reid. That puts it at #281 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 36.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,735 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Reid 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 Reid with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
125K
1 in 2,735
Census rank
#281
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
36.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109,275 bearers of the surname Reid in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 36.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 281st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Reid, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.8%. The next largest groups are Black (33.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Reid
The surname Reid has its origins in Scotland, where it first appeared in the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "read," meaning red or ruddy complexion. The name may have been originally given as a nickname to someone with a reddish complexion or red hair.
In the early 13th century, the name is recorded in various charters and documents, such as the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which list Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Adam Reid, who witnessed a charter in Berwick in 1248.
The Reid surname is also associated with several place names in Scotland, including Reidhaven in Kincardineshire and Reidswire in Dumfriesshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in different regions.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Reid family played a prominent role in Scottish history. Sir Robert Reid (1510-1558) was a prominent diplomat and served as the Lord Privy Seal of Scotland under Mary, Queen of Scots. Another notable figure was Thomas Reid (1710-1796), a philosopher and founder of the Scottish School of Common Sense.
In the literary world, Iain Reid (born 1976) is a Canadian writer and author of the acclaimed novel "I'm Thinking of Ending Things." Thomas Mayne Reid (1818-1883) was an Irish-American novelist known for his adventure novels set in the American West.
Other notable individuals with the surname Reid include Sir George Reid (1841-1909), an Australian politician and Prime Minister of Australia from 1904 to 1905, and Alistair Reid (1926-2014), a Scottish-American poet and scholar.
The Reid surname has a rich history and has been prominent in various fields, including politics, philosophy, literature, and diplomacy. Its Scottish origins and association with place names have contributed to its distinct identity and enduring legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reid
Among Census respondents with the surname Reid, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.8%. The next largest groups are Black (33.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Reid 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 Reid surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.8% · 62,043
- Black or African American33.9% · 36,999
- Two or more races4.5% · 4,874
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 3,949
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 816
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 594
Timeline
Historical Census data for Reid
Reid 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
#275
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111,360
+7,353 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 37.75
Rank movement Down 12 places
2020
#281
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109,275
-2,085 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 36.56
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #263 | 104,007 | 38.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #275 | 111,360 | 37.75 | +7,353 bearers (+7.1%) | Down 12 places |
| 2020 | #281 | 109,275 | 36.56 | -2,085 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 6 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 Reid 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 | #275 | #281 | -2.2% |
| Count | 111,360 | 109,275 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 37.75 | 36.56 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Reid bearers went from 111,360 to 109,275 (-1.9% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #275 to #281.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Reid
FAQ
Reid surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Reid?
Name Census estimates that about 125,308 living Americans carry the surname Reid. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,735 residents.
How common is Reid?
Reid ranks #281 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 36.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 37 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 109,275 people with the surname Reid. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125,308), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 36.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 36.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 37 of them to have the surname Reid.
Has Reid become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Reid went from 111,360 recorded bearers to 109,275. That is a decrease of 2,085 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #275 to #281.
What does the Census say about the background of Reid?
Among Census respondents with the surname Reid, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.8%. The next largest groups are Black (33.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Reid in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.8% (62,043 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Reid appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (56.8%), Black (33.9%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Reid (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 Reid mean?
A surname of Scottish and English origin, derived from a nickname meaning "red-haired" or "ruddy-complexioned." 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 Reid (36.56 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 Reid?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.