Explore the Family Name Reedy

The meaning of Reedy

1. Scottish: habitational name from Reedie in Airlie (Angus), recorded as villa de Rethyn in 1264, or a place of the same name in Auchtermuchty (Fife), both named with Scottish Gaelic rèidh + -in ‘flat place’. 2. Irish: from Ó Riada ‘descendant of Riada’, a personal name meaning ‘traveler, rider’. 3. Irish and Scottish: from Gaelic Mac Riada, see McCready. 4. Americanized form of German Riede or of some other similar (like-sounding) surname.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Reedy in the United States?

According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Reedy has seen a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. It fell in rank from 2851 to 3017, marking a decrease of nearly 5.82%. However, the actual count of individuals with this surname increased slightly by 2.85%, rising from 11,555 to 11,884 over the same period. The proportion per 100,000 people also declined by 5.84%, falling from 4.28 to 4.03.

20002010Change
Rank#2,851#3,017-5.82%
Count11,55511,8842.85%
Proportion per 100k4.284.03-5.84%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Reedy

The ethnicity associated with the surname Reedy also underwent changes from 2000 to 2010, as shown by the Decennial U.S. Census data. The largest ethnic identity associated with this surname is White, although its percentage decreased from 89.95% to 87.77%. The Hispanic ethnicity saw the most growth at 70.59%, increasing from 1.36% to 2.32%. Ethnicities such as Asian/Pacific Islander and Black also increased, while those identifying as Two or more races had a significant increase of 31.30%. Meanwhile, the percentage of American Indian and Alaskan Native decreased slightly.

20002010Change
White89.95%87.77%-2.42%
Black6.4%7.23%12.97%
Hispanic1.36%2.32%70.59%
Two or More Races1.15%1.51%31.3%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.61%0.59%-3.28%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.52%0.58%11.54%

Reedy ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Reedy is British & Irish, which comprises 52.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (28.6%) and Eastern European (4.6%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Scandinavian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Spanish & Portuguese, and Nigerian.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish52.4%
French & German28.6%
Eastern European4.6%
Other14.4%
Reedy

Possible origins of the surname Reedy

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Reedy have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater London, United Kingdom86.70%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom86.30%
West Midlands, United Kingdom86.30%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom86.30%
Merseyside, United Kingdom85.90%

What Reedy haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Reedy is R-L238, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-L238 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and R-L2, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Floyd, Horner, Robert, Asher, Hatton, Fletcher, Grady, Winters, Craig, Edwards.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Reedy surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

reedyPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Reedy have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Reedy

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Reedy" Surname 44.4%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Reedy

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Reedy" Surname 25.4%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Reedy

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Reedy" Surname 23.0%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Reedy

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Reedy" Surname 19.5%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Reedy?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Reedy are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%