Total births
308
Boys' name · since 1914
Read
308 babies named Read in U.S. Social Security records since 1914, with the highest year being 1949. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- 308
- total births
- 1914–2014
- years on record
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 17%
- born in that decade
308 boys have been named Read since 1914, though it isn't currently a top-ranked name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Read has been recorded 308 times among boys since 1914, though it is not among the currently most-used boys names, with its heaviest use in the 1990s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1914 to 2014.
- 308 total births
- 1914–2014 years on record
- 1990s peak decade
- 17% born in that decade
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
308 boys have been named Read since 1914, peaking in the 1990s, last recorded in 2014.
- 308
- total births
- 1914–2014
- years on record
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 17%
- born in that decade
1990s
Peak decade
17% of everyone ever named Read was born in this single decade.
1949
Single peak year
14 babies were named Read in 1949 - its busiest year on record.
Read's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Read's full recorded timeline at 1969, 48% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 52% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1926, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1949 peak of 14 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Read at a glance
Last recorded 2014Peak year
1949
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1914
Read popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1914–2014
- Peak year (1949)
- 14
- Annual births at peak, across 101 years of records
Read by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Read's strongest decade.
53 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Read births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 20
1910s
20 births
- 1920s 16
1920s
16 births
- 1930s 18
1930s
18 births
- 1940s
1940s
42 births
- 1950s
1950s
43 births
- 1960s
1960s
27 births
- 1970s 19
1970s
19 births
- 1980s
1980s
29 births
- 1990s
1990s
53 births
- 2000s
2000s
31 births
- 2010s 10
2010s
10 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 53 births (17% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Read? ▼
308 babies have been named Read since 1914. It was last recorded in 2014. The peak year was 1949 with 14 births.
When was Read most popular? ▼
Read was most popular in the 1990s decade with 53 total births. The single peak year was 1949.
How long has the name Read been used? ▼
Records for Read go back to 1914, giving 101 years of history through 2014.
What names are similar to Read? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Reagan, Real, Reason, Rea, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Read's data
- Read's decade-level peak was the 1990s (53 total births); usage has since declined to 10 in the 2010s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Read
Nearby Names Like Read
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Read
Reagan Boy
#1574 7,841 births
Real Boy
#10004 395 births
Reason Boy
#3004 255 births
Rea Boy
190 births
Reade Boy
141 births
Compare Read side by side: Read vs Reagan Read vs Real Read vs Reason
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1914–2014 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Read: Baby Name Since 1914 - 308 Births, Peak 1949." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/read. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Read draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.