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

Reavis, 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 Reavis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Reavis in America

Reavis is the 6411th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Reavis surname appeared 5,305 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Reavis.

We can also compare 2010 data for Reavis 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 Reavis

The surname Reavis has its roots in the British Isles, specifically England and Scotland. It is believed to have originated as a locational name, derived from a place called Reavill or Revill, which was located in Yorkshire, England. The name itself is a combination of two Old English words, "hreaw," meaning rough or untamed, and "feld," meaning a field or open land.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Revill." This historical document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and property ownership in England at the time.

In the early 13th century, the name appears in several Scottish records, such as the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented the Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. One such entry is that of Thomas de Reuill, who hailed from the county of Roxburghshire.

Over time, the surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Reavill, Revill, Reavell, and Reavel. These variations likely stemmed from regional dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping during the Middle Ages.

Notable individuals bearing the surname Reavis include:

1. Sir John Reavis (c. 1450-1520), an English nobleman and landowner from Yorkshire.
2. William Reavis (c. 1620-1677), a Scottish immigrant to colonial America and one of the first settlers in New Jersey.
3. James Reavis (1843-1914), an American con man known for his fraudulent claims to ownership of a vast area of land in Arizona.
4. Marcellus Reavis (1865-1945), an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Missouri.
5. Lois Reavis (1926-2008), an American writer and editor who co-founded the San Francisco Bay Guardian newspaper.

While the surname Reavis is not among the most common surnames today, it has a rich history that can be traced back to the medieval period in England and Scotland, with its origins rooted in the descriptions of rural landscapes and settlements.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Reavis

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

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

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

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