Find out how popular the last name Cave is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Cave.
An occupational surname referring to someone who lived in or worked in a cave or a hollow.
Cave, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Cave surname is from the 2010 census data.
Cave is the 4228th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Cave surname appeared 8,389 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Cave.
We can also compare 2010 data for Cave to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 4228 | 3943 | 6.98% |
| Count | 8,389 | 8,273 | 1.39% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.84 | 3.07 | -7.78% |
The surname Cave is of English origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old Norman French word "cave," meaning a cave or underground dwelling. The name likely originated as a topographic name, given to someone who lived near or in a cave.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1182, which mentions a Roger de la Cave. This suggests that the name was initially used as a descriptive surname, indicating a person's association with a specific cave or location.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records across England. The Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273 mention a Richard de la Cave, while the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1285 reference a Thomas de la Cave.
The surname Cave has also been linked to various place names throughout England. For example, there is a village called Cave in East Yorkshire, which may have contributed to the adoption of the name by individuals residing in or near that area.
Notable historical figures bearing the surname Cave include:
Sir Ambrose Cave (1504-1568), an English lawyer and politician who served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
William Cave (1637-1713), an English clergyman and scholar known for his work "Apostolici, or, The History of the Apostles and Fathers in the First Three Centuries of the Church."
Edward Cave (1691-1754), an English publisher and the founder of The Gentleman's Magazine, one of the earliest periodicals in English.
Stephen Cave (1820-1904), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Shoreham from 1857 to 1859.
Sir Lewis William Cave (1832-1897), an English lawyer and judge who served as a Lord Justice of Appeal and was knighted in 1887.
The surname Cave has undergone various spelling variations throughout history, including Cave, Cavey, and Cavie. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialectal differences and the evolution of language over time.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Cave.
The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Cave was:
| Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic White Only | 79.07% | 6,633 |
| Non-Hispanic Black Only | 14.04% | 1,178 |
| Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | 1.70% | 143 |
| Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.29% | 24 |
| Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | 1.85% | 155 |
| Hispanic Origin | 3.05% | 256 |
Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.
Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Cave has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 79.07% | 80.41% | -1.68% |
| Black | 14.04% | 13.82% | 1.58% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.70% | 1.35% | 22.95% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.29% | 0.47% | -47.37% |
| Two or More Races | 1.85% | 1.50% | 20.90% |
| Hispanic | 3.05% | 2.45% | 21.82% |
The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.
The history and meaning of the name Cave was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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