Lou Reed
There are approximately 15 people named Lou Reed living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 22,850,289 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Lou with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Reed. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and ancestry information.
Expected bearers
15
1 in 22,850,289
Named Lou
16K
Alive today
Named Reed
322K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 16K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Unisex
Peak year: 1954
Average age: 65
Estimated bearers: 322K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #73
Per 100K: 93.92
Top ancestry: White (71.3%)
First name trend
Lou: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Lou. The peak year was 1954 with 1,547 births. The average person named Lou today is 65 years old.
Babies born per year
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Reed surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Reed, from the 2010 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 71.3%.
- White71.3%
- Black or African American22.6%
- Two or more races2.3%
- Hispanic or Latino2.2%
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1%
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5%
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Lou has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0046% of the US population, based on 15,873 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
The surname Reed appears at a rate of 93.92 per 100,000 residents in the 2010 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0939%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 15 people with the full name Lou Reed. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Lou
Related
Other people with the surname Reed
FAQ
Lou Reed: questions and answers
How many people are named Lou Reed?
We estimate approximately 15 people in the United States share the full name Lou Reed. That works out to about 1 in 22,850,289 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0046%) with the surname frequency (93.92 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Lou Reed?
We classify Lou Reed as "Very Rare". About 1 in 22,850,289 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Lou a male or female name?
Lou is predominantly unisex. Out of 38,049 total SSA registrations, 10.5% were male and 89.5% were female. See the full Lou profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2010 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.