Reid Name Origin, Meaning and Family History

Reid Name Meaning: A nickname for someone with a red face or red hair. "read" which means red. Old English 'Ried' also means 'woodland clearing'.

The name 'Ried' could have easily been topographic for someone who lived in a clearing. Habitational for various places in England.

Discover how your Reid ancestors earned their living and spread across the country. Find out more about your family history by using the Free Search box.

Surname Distribution

Census frequency by county

Name Concentrations Within England and Wales

Reid Surname Statistics


Top Professions for the Reid family

Profession Census Frequency
School 1,161
Private Means 135
Labourer 78
General Labourer 71
General Servant (domestic) 66
None 66
Coal Miner Hewer 53
Clerk 51
At School 46
Dressmaker 45
Domestic Servant 42
Dock Labourer 40
School Boy 33
Joiner 32
Cotton Weaver 32
House Painter 31
Scholar 31
Housekeeper 29
Housemaid (domestic) 29
Shop Assistant 29
At Home 28
Dress Maker 27
House Keeper 26
Laundress 26
No Occupation 24

Reid Surname Variants Ranking

Rank Surname Match Census Frequency
1 Reed 75% 171,108
2 Read 75% 149,995
3 Reid 100% 45,698
4 Ord 25% 11,990
5 Reade 60% 6,536
6 Rood 50% 3,489
7 Road 50% 2,872
8 Aird 25% 2,306
9 Ride 50% 2,240
10 Red 75% 1,852
11 Ried 50% 1,303
12 Raid 75% 1,290
13 Rud 50% 928
14 Reede 60% 874
15 Rod 50% 681
16 Roud 50% 625
17 Rade 25% 523
18 Orde 0% 455
19 Rode 25% 370
20 Rude 25% 288
21 Raud 50% 255
22 Rid 75% 254
23 Ard 25% 222
24 Rad 50% 168
25 Rodie 40% 123
26 Ruda 25% 120
27 Wrede 40% 103

Did you know?

The surname Reid is the 3rd most popular variant of Reed.

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