The baby name Creed blends spiritual meaning with a major pop culture presence.
Thanks to Ella for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME CREED MEAN?
The Latin credo means I believe. By the 1600s or so, it referred to a statement of belief.
Christianity claims several creeds: the Apostles, the Nicene. During worship, the congregation professes their faith, beginning with the words, “I believe.” Today they might feel routine, but when they were written, their words addressed key theological debates of the day.
Interestingly, linguists believe credo comes from a root word meaning heart. So the word Creed literally means devotion or heart-felt.
No question that this one qualifies as a virtue name.
CREED AS A LAST NAME
When it appears as a surname, however, it has little to do with spirituality.
Instead, it’s the Anglicized version of several Gaelic surnames, all related to the personal name Crìodán – meaning unknown.
Or maybe it comes from Old English, in which case it might refer to crede – weeds, or a place name, or even a long-lost given name.
Cornwall gives us a (female) Saint Crida, from the fifth century, also known as St. Cride or Creed.
CREED IN POPULAR CULTURE
Florida rock band Creed formed in 1993. While they’re not a Christian band, the religious name may come from lead singer Scott Stapp, stepson to a Pentecostal minister. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the found success with singles like “Higher” and “With Arms Wide Open.”
Pop culture gives us another Creed.
Born William Charles Schneider, the musician known as Creed Bratton became a member of The Grass Roots. He played on their 1967 anthem, “Let’s Live for Today.”
Bratton left the band in 1969, but a new generation knows him for another reason. He played a fictional version of himself on NBC’s The Office. The show ran from 2005 to 2013.
The actor and the character share the same name, along with plenty of biographical details. The television version leans darker – he slacks and lies and generally causes havoc, but mostly remains well-liked.
ASSASSIN’S CREED
The video game Assassin’s Creed debuted in 2007. It ranks as one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time.
The game features assassins who, despite their name, serve as the good guys. They time-travel to save the world.
In 2016, it inspired a movie.
APOLLO CREED and ADONIS CREED
But that’s not the movie that explains the name’s entry into the Top 1000 in 2016.
Carl Weathers played Apollo Creed in the Rocky movies. Rocky comes into their fights an unknown underdog, while Apollo is a Muhammad Ali-like champion.
The two eventually become friends, but despite the character’s long run, his surname inspired few – if any – parents during the era.
That takes us to November 2015.
Rocky movie number 7 introduces Adonis Creed, the illegitimate son of Apollo, never mentioned in the earlier films. Adonis wants to follow in his father’s footsteps, and Rocky serves as his mentor.
American actor Michael B. Jordan played the young boxer, generating lots of positive buzz. Sylvester Stallone even earned a Golden Globe, plus an Oscar nomination, for returning to the big screen as Rocky.
The name plays a critical part, too. When we first meet him, Adonis prefers his mother’s surname, Johnson. By the end, he’s embraced his heritage.
Creed II followed in 2018 and Creed III in 2023. Both were successful.
THE RISE OF REED
One other factor in the rise of Creed: Reed.
English surname Reed has long been used as a boy’s name. In terms of popular names, Scottish spelling Reid is even more common now, though both have a long history of use.
Together, they make Creed sound like a perfectly obvious choice for a child.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME CREED?
Technically, the baby name Creed last appeared in the Social Security Administration’s Top 1000 back in 1910.
The name has always been used in small numbers in the United States. Early days, that’s likely less about the powerful meaning and more about the use of family names as firsts.
It didn’t really accelerate in use until around the year 2000. Credit to some mix of the band and the meaning of the name Creed at the right moment. Word names from River to Maverick were trending in the early 2000s, too.
But the movie Creed turbo-charged the name’s popularity. By 2016, Creed ranked #985 for boys in the US, returning it to the US Top 1000.
As of 2023, Creed ranks #678.
A handful of alternative spellings are sometimes seen: Cread is rare. But, with 156 births in 2023, Kreed is increasingly familiar.
POWERFUL, MEANING-RICH CHOICE
The baby name Creed packs a punch. It sounds traditional – and has history to back it up. But it fits with modern, meaningful names that suggest a non-specific faith. Some might read it as faith in oneself – like the boxer’s story – though a religious sense is clear, too.
It’s the perfect name for parents seeking something substantial, but brief; powerful, but still subtle. There’s just a hint of sophisticated restraint about Creed, and that’s what transforms it from an on-trend name to an enduring one.
What do you think of the baby name Creed?
First published on August 2, 2017, this post was revised on December 17, 2024.
