Read

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Read

Pronounced REED /ˈriːd/Medium

Meaning: Read is an English surname turned first name. It comes either from Old English 'read' ('red,' a nickname for a red-haired or ruddy person) or from a place-name element meaning a clearing; both routes are old and well attested. As a given name it is pronounced REED.Low

In 30 seconds: Read is a surname-name from Old English, either 'red-haired' or a clearing in the woods (say it REED). A quiet, bookish-looking early-1900s pick.

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Origin LowEnglish

MeaningRead is an English surname turned first name. It comes either from Old English 'read' ('red,' a nickname for a red-haired or ruddy person) or from a place-name element meaning a clearing; both routes are old and well attested. As a given name it is pronounced REED.

U.S. rank (2014)#13603 ↗ Rising

2014 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1949

Total births (all-time)≈ 308

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Read is one of the old English surnames that families adopted as a first name. It traces to Old English 'read' for 'red,' a byname for someone red-haired or ruddy, or to a word for a woodland clearing. In American records it appears as a boy's given name from the early twentieth century, holding at only around fifteen a year at its best in the late 1940s before slipping away.

A man named Read from its peak would be in his seventies or eighties now. It shares the surname-as-first-name feel of Reed, Reid, and Reece, and the tidy one-syllable shape those names all have.

Did you know? Read looks like the verb, but as a name it rhymes with 'reed,' not 'red' - the spelling and the color meaning are an old coincidence that still surprises people.

Overall data confidence 45%

References - Read — English surname 'red'/clearing used as given name

Variations

ReedReidReade

Nicknames

Ree

Famous Bearers

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If you like Read…

Reed— the common spelling of the same surname-name

Reid— a Scottish cousin of the same 'red' root

Reece— a like short surname-style boy name

Grant— another one-beat English surname turned first name

Explore names like Read

By themeenglish surname-name short one-syllable

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Read mean?

Read means 'red' (a byname for a red-haired person) or comes from a word for a clearing; it is an English surname used as a first name.

How do you pronounce Read?

As a name it is said REED, one syllable - the same sound as Reed, not the color 'red.'

Is Read a boy or a girl name?

Read has been used mainly for boys as a surname-style given name.

Is Read a popular name?

No. Read has always been rare as a first name, doing its modest best in the late nineteen-forties and staying in the long tail ever since.