Traves
Meaning uncertain, potentially derived from English "traverse" or a Welsh surname.
Name Census estimates that about 291 living Americans carry the first name Traves. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Traves today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Traves births was 1979 (28 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Traves. 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
291
~ 1 in 1,177,850 Americans
Peak year
1979
28 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2006 SSA rank
#10,558
Tracked since 1968
Census
Traves in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 315 people with the first name Traves, which placed it at #28,488 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#28,488
National first-name rank
People counted
315
315 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
50.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Traves
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Traves is White at 50.2%. The next largest groups are Black (31.4%) and Hispanic (7.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Traves described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Traves at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.2% · 158
- Black or African American31.4% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino7.9% · 25
- Two or more races4.1% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.8% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 8
Popularity
Traves: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Traves from the 1960s through to the 2000s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 133 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Traves 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 Traves during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Traves
The name Traves is a unique and intriguing one, with its roots stretching back to ancient Germanic origins. Derived from the Old High German word "travo," which means "beam" or "rafter," it suggests a strong and sturdy foundation, perhaps reflective of the character and resilience of those who bore this name throughout history.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Traves can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the 9th century. Here, it appears as the name of a landowner in the region of modern-day Germany. This early reference speaks to the antiquity and longevity of the name, which has persisted through the ages.
As we delve deeper into the annals of history, we encounter Traves de Vigny, a French nobleman and crusader who lived during the 12th century. His exploits and valor during the Crusades earned him a place in the chronicles of that era, forever etching his name into the tapestry of medieval European history.
In the realm of literature, the name Traves found its way into the works of the renowned English playwright, William Shakespeare. In his play "The Merry Wives of Windsor," one of the characters is referred to as "Master Traves," though little is known about the historical figure upon whom this character might have been based.
Jumping forward in time, we come across Traves Middleton, a British explorer and naturalist who lived from 1719 to 1792. His expeditions to remote regions of the world and his contributions to the study of natural history have earned him a place in the annals of scientific exploration.
Finally, we must mention Traves Smikle, a Jamaican poet and writer born in 1938. His poignant works, which often explore themes of identity, culture, and the experiences of the African diaspora, have earned him critical acclaim and a devoted following in the literary world.
These are but a few examples of the many individuals who have carried the name Traves throughout history, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human experience. While the name may be uncommon, its resilience and endurance are a testament to the enduring legacy of those who have borne it with pride and distinction.
People
Traves + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Traves as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Traves: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Traves?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 291 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Traves 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 1,177,850 US residents.
Is Traves a common name?
We classify Traves as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 306 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Traves most popular?
The single biggest year for Traves was 1979, when 28 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Traves is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Traves in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 315 people with the name Traves, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #28,488 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Traves in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Traves?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Traves leans strongly male. 304 people counted with this name were male (97.7%), compared with 7 female bearers (2.3%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Traves?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Traves is White at 50.2%. The next largest groups are Black (31.4%) and Hispanic (7.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Traves most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Traves in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.2% (158 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Traves in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Traves a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Traves in the SSA data are male. 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.
Is Traves still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Traves in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Traves can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many Americans are named Traves?
See how many people share the name Traves on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.