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

Ravenelle, 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 Ravenelle surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ravenelle in America

Ravenelle is the 65066th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ravenelle surname appeared 305 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 Ravenelle.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ravenelle 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 Ravenelle

The surname Ravenelle has its origins in France, emerging in the early medieval period around the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "ravenel," which referred to a small stream or brook. This suggests that the name likely originated as a locational surname, given to someone who lived near a ravine or small watercourse.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Cartulaire de Fontenay, a 12th-century manuscript from the Cistercian abbey of Fontenay in Burgundy, France. The document mentions a person named Guillelmus Ravenellus, suggesting the name was already in use by that time.

During the 13th century, the name appears to have spread across northern France, particularly in Normandy and Picardy. Historical records from this period, such as the Trésor des Chartes and the Rôles des Fiefs, contain references to individuals with variations of the name, including Ravenele, Ravenelle, and Raveneau.

In the 14th century, a notable bearer of the name was Jean Ravenelle, a French knight who participated in the Hundred Years' War. He is mentioned in the chronicles of Jean Froissart, a renowned chronicler of the time, for his bravery in the Battle of Poitiers in 1356.

The surname Ravenelle also found its way to England, likely brought over by Norman settlers after the Norman Conquest of 1066. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in England can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1170, which mention a Radulfus de Ravenela.

As the name spread across Europe, different regional variations emerged, such as Raveneau in France, Ravanel in Italy, and Ravenhall in England. These variations often reflected local dialects or adaptations of the original name.

Another notable bearer of the name was Jean-Baptiste Ravenelle, a French explorer and cartographer who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was known for his detailed maps of the Great Lakes region in North America, which were instrumental in the exploration and settlement of the area.

In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the surname Ravenelle was Édouard Ravenelle, a French painter and engraver who was born in 1808 and died in 1876. He was recognized for his landscape paintings and etchings, many of which depicted scenes from the Normandy region of France.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ravenelle

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

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

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

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