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

Rave, 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 Rave surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rave in America

Rave is the 28100th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rave surname appeared 852 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 Rave.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rave 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 Rave

The surname RAVE originated in the medieval period in England, likely derived from the Old English word "rafa" or "rafe," which referred to a row or line. It may have been initially used as a descriptive surname for someone who lived along a specific row or street.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named "Radulfus Rafe" in Norfolk. This suggests that variations of the name were already in use by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, records show individuals named "Rafe" and "Rave" residing in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Suffolk. The spelling "Rave" may have evolved from the earlier "Rafe" as a result of regional dialects and scribal variations.

During the 14th century, the name appeared in several historical documents, such as the Pipe Rolls of 1332, which listed a "William Rave" from Oxfordshire. The Subsidy Rolls of 1381 also mentioned a "John Rave" from Cambridgeshire.

Notable individuals bearing the surname RAVE include John Rave (c. 1450-1514), a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol, and Sir Thomas Rave (c. 1520-1589), a distinguished lawyer and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

In the 17th century, the RAVE surname was found in various locations across England, with records showing individuals residing in places like Ravenstonedale (derived from "Rafenestanedel") in Cumbria and Ravesby (derived from "Rafuesbyr") in Lincolnshire.

Other notable individuals with the surname RAVE include Robert Rave (1628-1697), a notable clergyman and theologian who served as the Archdeacon of Leicester, and John Rave (1701-1768), a respected architect who designed several churches and country houses in Gloucestershire and Somerset.

Throughout history, the RAVE surname has been associated with various professions, including merchants, lawyers, clergy, architects, and landowners, indicating its widespread presence across various social strata in England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rave

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!