2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ravet
A French occupational surname derived from the Latin word "radere," meaning "to scrape" or "to graze."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Ravet. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ravet surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Ravet in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ravet, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ravet
The surname Ravet is of French origin, with its earliest roots traced back to the Normandy region of northern France in the 12th century. It is believed to derive from the Old French word "rave," meaning a type of plant or root vegetable similar to a radish. This suggests that the surname may have initially been an occupational name for someone who cultivated or sold such vegetables.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and wealth across England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Ravet" in entries related to Lincolnshire and Norfolk, indicating that individuals bearing this surname likely arrived in England from Normandy during the Norman Conquest.
In the 13th century, the name Ravet is documented in various manorial records and legal documents across different regions of France, including Normandy, Picardy, and Île-de-France. During this time, variations such as "Ravetz" and "Ravette" also emerged.
A notable early bearer of the name was Jean Ravet, a French merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Rouen in the late 14th century. Records indicate that he was involved in trade with neighboring regions and held significant property within the city.
Another historical figure was Guillaume Ravet, a French soldier and knight who participated in the Hundred Years' War between England and France during the 15th century. He is recorded as having fought alongside the French forces at the Battle of Verneuil in 1424.
In England, one of the earliest known individuals with the surname Ravet was Robert Ravet, who was born in Norfolk around 1520. He was a landowner and prominent figure in his local community, serving as a parish constable and juror during the reign of Elizabeth I.
The name also appears in various place names throughout France, such as Ravetière, a commune in the département of Jura, and Ravetz, a hamlet in the commune of Limogne-en-Quercy in the Lot département. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, reflecting the presence of individuals or families bearing the name in those areas.
Other noteworthy individuals with the surname Ravet include Pierre Ravet, a 17th-century French painter and engraver known for his religious works, and Jean-Baptiste Ravet, an 18th-century French architect who designed several notable buildings in Paris and the surrounding regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ravet
Among Census respondents with the surname Ravet, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Ravet bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ravet surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ravet
Ravet appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+9 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 294 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 630 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.5%) | Down 294 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Up 630 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ravet surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #144,141 | #143,511 | 0.4% |
| Count | 115 | 118 | 2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ravet bearers went from 115 to 118 (+2.6% change). The surname moved up 630 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #143,511.
FAQ
Ravet surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ravet?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Ravet. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Ravet?
Ravet ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Ravet. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ravet.
Has Ravet become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ravet went from 115 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 3 (+2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #144,141 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Ravet?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ravet, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ravet in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ravet appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (3.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ravet (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ravet mean?
A French occupational surname derived from the Latin word "radere," meaning "to scrape" or "to graze." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ravet (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Ravet?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.