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

Rav, 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 Rav surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rav in America

Rav is the 85659th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rav surname appeared 218 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Rav.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rav 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 Rav

The surname RAV originated in the Middle East, specifically in the region of ancient Persia, now modern-day Iran. It is believed to have emerged around the 6th century AD, derived from the Persian word "rav," which means "path" or "way."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name RAV can be found in the Pahlavi inscriptions from the Sassanid Empire, which ruled Persia from the 3rd to the 7th century AD. These inscriptions mention individuals with the surname RAV, indicating their association with trade routes and travel.

As the Persian Empire expanded, the name RAV spread to various regions, including parts of Central Asia and the Middle East. In the 9th century, there are records of individuals with the surname RAV in the city of Baghdad, which was a major center of trade and cultural exchange during the Abbasid Caliphate.

In the 11th century, the name RAV appeared in manuscripts from the Seljuk Empire, which ruled over a vast territory stretching from Central Asia to the Middle East. One notable figure from this period was Khwaja Ravi (1050-1120), a renowned Persian poet and philosopher who hailed from the city of Nishapur.

During the Mongol invasions of the 13th century, many individuals bearing the surname RAV migrated westward, settling in regions such as Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) and the Caucasus. In the 14th century, there are records of a prominent family named Ravi in the city of Bursa, which was part of the Ottoman Empire.

Another notable figure with the surname RAV was Mir Ravi (1570-1645), a Persian poet and calligrapher who served at the court of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. His works are celebrated for their intricate calligraphy and poetic mastery.

In the 19th century, the surname RAV was found among Persian communities in India, particularly in the cities of Lucknow and Hyderabad. One prominent individual from this period was Mirza Ravi Baig (1810-1890), a Persian-Indian scholar and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of the Nizam's government in Hyderabad.

The surname RAV has also been recorded in various regions of Central Asia, including modern-day Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan. In the 19th century, there were notable figures such as Ravi Khan (1815-1885), a military leader and governor of the Khanate of Khiva, and Ravi Beg (1830-1905), a renowned poet and scholar from Bukhara.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rav

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

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

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

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