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

Ravens, 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 Ravens surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ravens in America

Ravens is the 74375th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ravens surname appeared 260 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 Ravens.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ravens 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 Ravens

The surname Ravens is of English origin, originating from the East Anglian region of England in the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "hræfn," which means "raven," a type of black bird. This surname likely originated as a nickname for someone with dark hair or a swarthy complexion, or perhaps someone who lived in an area frequented by ravens.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ravens surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Rauene." This suggests that the name had already been in use by the 11th century. In the 13th century, the surname appears in various forms, such as "Raven," "Rauene," and "Ravene," in records from counties like Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex.

Notable individuals with the surname Ravens throughout history include:

1. John Ravens (c. 1480 - c. 1550), an English poet and playwright from Suffolk.
2. Richard Ravens (c. 1535 - 1606), an English clergyman and academic from Norfolk.
3. Elizabeth Ravens (c. 1590 - 1670), an English landowner and businesswoman from Essex.
4. William Ravens (c. 1660 - 1735), an English architect and surveyor from Suffolk, known for his work on several churches and country houses.
5. Mary Ravens (c. 1720 - 1795), an English botanist and naturalist from Norfolk, known for her contributions to the study of local flora.

The Ravens surname is also associated with several place names in East Anglia, such as Ravenswood in Suffolk and Raveningham in Norfolk. These place names likely derived from the Old English word "hræfn" and may have influenced the development of the surname in the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ravens

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

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

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

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