English surname-origin name meaning red-haired or red-complexioned, later used directly as a given name.
Redd descends from the Old English rēad, simply meaning "red," and like many English surnames it began as a descriptor — a nickname for someone with flame-colored hair or a ruddy complexion that eventually fossilized into a family name. The Norman Conquest brought French rouge alongside it, but the Germanic rēad held its ground in English dialects, evolving into the surnames Reed, Reid, and Redd across different regional pronunciations of Britain and Ireland. As a given name, Redd carries the swagger of a showman's moniker: comedian and actor Redd Foxx — born John Elroy Sanford — chose it as his stage name, pairing the color reference with the name Foxx to create an identity of pure charismatic invention.
His portrayal of Fred Sanford in Sanford and Son made the name iconic in American comedy culture. Jazz musician Redd Evans, who co-wrote the wartime hit "Rosie the Riveter," added further artistic luster to the name's record. Today Redd functions as a bold, stripped-down given name with the confidence of a single syllable and the warmth of its chromatic meaning.
It fits comfortably in the tradition of color-derived names — Scarlett, Violet, Indigo — while skewing decisively masculine. Its double-D ending gives it a visual weight that the single-D Reed lacks, making it feel deliberate, grounded, and entirely its own.