The English surname of Reed is a name or nickname denoting a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion. From the Old English term of ‘read’, it means red. Also from Old English is ‘ried’ and ‘ryd’ which both refer to a person who lived in a woodland clearing.

Other spelling forms include Reede, Reid, Ried, Read and Reith.

Reed is a very common surname in Ireland especially in the Ulster region.
In England, the county of Durham has a high number of Reed families.

The name is common in United States, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. The states of Texas, Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania and New York have high numbers of Reed families.

Famous: Thomas German Reed (19th century composer in England for the theater), Talbot Baines Reed (19th century writer of short stories for schools), Guilford B. Reed (medical researcher relating to diseases), Mathis Jimmy Reed (songwriter and musician), Howie Reed (professional baseball player) and Vivian Reed (actress of silent movies).