Find out how popular the last name Haven is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Haven.

Haven, 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 Haven surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Haven in America

Haven is the 9043rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Haven surname appeared 3,614 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Haven.

We can also compare 2010 data for Haven 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.

The history of the last name Haven

The surname Haven is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "hæfen," meaning "haven" or "harbor." It is believed to have emerged as a surname in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.

The name Haven is thought to have originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a harbor or a safe anchorage for ships. It may have been given to individuals residing in coastal areas or near ports, serving as a descriptive identifier of their location or occupation.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Haven can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex, dated 1296, where a certain William atte Havene is mentioned. This spelling variation, "atte Havene," suggests that the name was initially used as a descriptive phrase, meaning "at the haven" or "by the harbor."

In the 14th century, the surname Haven appeared in various records, such as the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1371, where a John Haven is mentioned. The spelling had evolved closer to its modern form by this time.

Notable individuals bearing the surname Haven throughout history include Thomas Haven (c. 1555-1629), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford. Another prominent figure was Nathaniel Haven (1638-1718), a Puritan minister and one of the founders of the First Church in Framingham, Massachusetts.

In the 18th century, Samuel Haven (1727-1806) was a prominent American educator and clergyman who served as the fifth president of the University of Rhode Island. Joseph Haven (1777-1852), an American soldier and politician, served as a brigadier general during the War of 1812 and later became a member of the United States House of Representatives.

The Haven surname has also been associated with notable authors and academics, such as Kendall Haven (1890-1965), an American writer and professor of English at the University of Richmond, and Cynthia Haven (born 1948), an American biographer and literary scholar known for her works on Peter Matthiessen and W.G. Sebald.

While the surname Haven has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and other English-speaking countries, carried by individuals and families who traced their ancestry back to its English origins.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Haven

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Haven.

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:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Haven was:

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 Haven has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

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 Haven was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Haven, please contact us.

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