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

Nave, 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 Nave surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nave in America

Nave is the 6819th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nave surname appeared 4,946 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Nave.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nave 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 Nave

The surname Nave is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "nafu" meaning "nave" or hub of a wheel. It first appeared in records during the 13th century, referring to someone who lived near the nave of a church or one who crafted naves for wheels.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which mentions a Thomas de la Nave. The surname was also present in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1332, listing a Robert atte Nave.

Over time, the name evolved to take on various spellings, such as Nave, Naeve, Neave, and Neeve. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of scribes who recorded the name.

The Nave surname has ties to several place names in England, such as Nave's Nook in Yorkshire and Nave Farm in Somerset. These locations likely acquired their names from early Nave families who resided there.

One notable bearer of the Nave surname was Sir William Nave (1470-1542), a prominent English lawyer and judge during the reign of Henry VIII. He served as a Justice of the Common Pleas and is mentioned in historical records from that era.

Another figure was Richard Nave (1617-1662), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works, including "The Bride's Ornaments" and "The New Covenant Sealed with Sixteen Sermons."

In the 18th century, John Nave (1726-1799) was a prosperous merchant and shipowner from Bristol, England, known for his involvement in the transatlantic trade.

Moving to the 19th century, Charles Nave (1828-1901) was a renowned American Methodist minister and author, best known for his work "Nave's Topical Bible," a comprehensive reference tool for Bible study.

Lastly, Sir Arundell Neave (1885-1978) was a British diplomat and civil servant who served as the Governor of the Bahamas from 1937 to 1946 and later held the position of Deputy Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nave

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

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

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

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