Reed/Reid/Read
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Reed/Reid/Read Surname Genealogy
Reed has more than one spelling - Reed, Reid, Read, and Reade - and more than one explanation. One is descriptive, from the Old Scots and Old English reid meaning "red" and describing someone with red hair or a ruddy complexion. The other is locational, from the Old English ried meaning a clearing and describing someone who lived in a woodland clearing. There are also various place-names called Reed, Read or Rede with different derivations.
The incidence of these names has varied in the UK, America and elsewhere (the table below shows apporximate numbers today).
(1) Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
(2) Including Reade.
The Read name, meanwhile, seems to have been strongest in eastern England.
Scotland. Reid is the main spelling in Scotland.
Some early Reids came from Aberdeenshire. "Red" was found as a surname there as early as 1317. A long-established Reid legal family in Aberdeen bought Barra castle in the early 1700's. The Rev. Lewis Reid was the minister at Strachan from 1704 to 1762 (his son Thomas was a well-known Scottish philosopher). One family account starts with a William Reid, born in Glenbuchat in 1727.
The Reid numbers are high in Ulster and Canada, reflecting probable Scottish immigration there.
America. Reed is the most common variant of the name in America. The Reed name was adopted by some Pennsylvania Deutsch families in the 1700's, notably John Reed (Johannes Reith) who in 1799 made the first gold discovery in America. The Read family of Delaware was a prominent political family in the 18th and 19th century in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Select Reed/Reid/Read Names
Parcy Reed, commemorated in song, was the last of the Border Reeds in the late 1500's.
Thomas Reid was an influential philosopher in the Scottish Enlightenment of the 18th century.
Elizabeth Jesser Reid was a 19th century English social reformer, best remembered today for the founding of Bedford College.
Charles Reade was the Victorian novelist who wrote The Cloister and the Hearth.
Joseph Reid invented the Reid oil burner.
George Reid, born in Scotland, became Prime Minister of Australia in 1904.
Walter Reade was the founder of the Walter Reade Organization which owned and operated a chain of theaters in New York and Boston,
Carol Reed was an English film director. His best-known work was probably The Third Man, released in 1949.
Select Reeds/Reids/Reads Today
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For other surnames check the companion selectsurname.com site where there are to be found the history and genealogy for more than 500 surnames.
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Reed has more than one spelling - Reed, Reid, Read, and Reade - and more than one explanation. One is descriptive, from the Old Scots and Old English reid meaning "red" and describing someone with red hair or a ruddy complexion. The other is locational, from the Old English ried meaning a clearing and describing someone who lived in a woodland clearing. There are also various place-names called Reed, Read or Rede with different derivations.
The incidence of these names has varied in the UK, America and elsewhere (the table below shows apporximate numbers today).
| Numbers (000's) |
UK |
America |
Elsewhere (1) |
| Reid |
68
|
34
|
78 |
| Reed |
40 |
84 |
14 |
| Read (2) |
34 |
7 |
15 |
(2) Including Reade.
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Reed/Reid/Read Resources on
The
Internet
- The Reed Family. Reeds of the Border reivers.
- Reed Family History. Reeds from England to Missouri.
- Reids from Rinmore and Beyond. Reids from Aberdeenshire.
"Here lies Tam Reid, who was chokit to
died, wi' taking a feed, o' butter and breed, wi' ovre muckle speed,
when he had nae need, but just for greed."
The Read name, meanwhile, seems to have been strongest in eastern England.
Scotland. Reid is the main spelling in Scotland.
Some early Reids came from Aberdeenshire. "Red" was found as a surname there as early as 1317. A long-established Reid legal family in Aberdeen bought Barra castle in the early 1700's. The Rev. Lewis Reid was the minister at Strachan from 1704 to 1762 (his son Thomas was a well-known Scottish philosopher). One family account starts with a William Reid, born in Glenbuchat in 1727.
The Reid numbers are high in Ulster and Canada, reflecting probable Scottish immigration there.
America. Reed is the most common variant of the name in America. The Reed name was adopted by some Pennsylvania Deutsch families in the 1700's, notably John Reed (Johannes Reith) who in 1799 made the first gold discovery in America. The Read family of Delaware was a prominent political family in the 18th and 19th century in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Select Reed/Reid/Read Names
Parcy Reed, commemorated in song, was the last of the Border Reeds in the late 1500's.
Thomas Reid was an influential philosopher in the Scottish Enlightenment of the 18th century.
Elizabeth Jesser Reid was a 19th century English social reformer, best remembered today for the founding of Bedford College.
Charles Reade was the Victorian novelist who wrote The Cloister and the Hearth.
Joseph Reid invented the Reid oil burner.
George Reid, born in Scotland, became Prime Minister of Australia in 1904.
Walter Reade was the founder of the Walter Reade Organization which owned and operated a chain of theaters in New York and Boston,
Carol Reed was an English film director. His best-known work was probably The Third Man, released in 1949.
Select Reeds/Reids/Reads Today
- 142,000 in the UK (most numerous in London)
- 125,000 in America (most numerous in Texas)
- 107,000 elsewhere (most numerous in Canada)
Select Surname List
For other surnames check the companion selectsurname.com site where there are to be found the history and genealogy for more than 500 surnames.
Return to Main Page