Ravyn
A feminine name derived from the word for "raven", a blackbird known for its intelligence.
Name Census estimates that about 2,556 living Americans carry the first name Ravyn. It is a predominantly female name (99.3% of registrations). The average person named Ravyn today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ravyn births was 2002 (133 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ravyn. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
2.6K
~ 1 in 134,098 Americans
Peak year
2002
133 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,448
Tracked since 1976
Gender
Gender distribution for Ravyn
Out of the 2,602 babies given the name Ravyn since 1880, 99.3% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Ravyn as a male name
- Ranked #13,736 in 2024
- 5 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1998 (9 births)
Ravyn as a female name
- Ranked #2,448 in 2024
- 74 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2002 (133 births)
Popularity
Ravyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ravyn from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 807 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Ravyn remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ravyn by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Ravyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ravyns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 19 states and territories. Texas, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Ravyn, while Virginia, Tennessee, Oklahoma recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 39 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ravyn
The given name Ravyn is believed to have originated from the Old English word "ræfn," which means "raven," referring to the black bird species. This name is deeply rooted in ancient Germanic and Norse cultures, where ravens held significant symbolic meaning, often associated with wisdom, protection, and war.
In Norse mythology, the god Odin was accompanied by two ravens, Huginn and Muninn, who served as his messengers and scouts. Ravens were revered as sacred creatures and were seen as omens, their presence interpreted as harbingers of great battles or portents of victory.
The name Ravyn can be traced back to the early medieval period, appearing in various forms such as Raven, Raefn, and Rafn in Old English and Old Norse texts. It was particularly popular among Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian communities, reflecting their cultural ties to the symbolic raven.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ravyn can be found in the 11th century Domesday Book, where it was listed as a surname. Throughout the Middle Ages, the name was predominantly used as a masculine name, although its usage as a feminine name also gained traction later on.
Historically, several notable individuals bore the name Ravyn or its variants. Among them was Ravyn Leggat, a Scottish poet and writer from the 16th century, known for his satirical works criticizing the nobility and clergy of his time.
Another prominent figure was Ravyn Olafsson, a 14th-century Icelandic chieftain and lawspeaker, renowned for his knowledge of the law and his role in preserving ancient Icelandic traditions and literature.
In the realm of literature, the character of Ravyn Wilkins appeared in the 17th-century play "The Tragedy of Mariam" by Elizabeth Cary, one of the earliest known works written by an English woman.
Moving into the 19th century, Ravyn Lenox was a celebrated American artist and portraitist, known for her captivating depictions of high society figures in the early 1800s.
Lastly, Ravyn Sinclair was a Scottish suffragette and activist who played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement in the early 20th century, advocating for women's rights and political representation.
While the name Ravyn has its roots in ancient cultures, it has continued to be used throughout history, carrying with it the symbolic weight of the raven and its associations with wisdom, mystery, and resilience.
People
Ravyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ravyn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ravyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ravyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,556 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ravyn going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 134,098 US residents.
Is Ravyn a common name?
We classify Ravyn as "Rare". It ranks above 94.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,602 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ravyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Ravyn was 2002, when 133 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ravyn is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ravyn a female name?
Yes, 99.3% of people registered as Ravyn in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.