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

Reeve, 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 Reeve surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Reeve in America

Reeve is the 6312th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Reeve surname appeared 5,406 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 Reeve.

We can also compare 2010 data for Reeve 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 Reeve

The surname Reeve originated in England and dates back to the 11th century. It derives from the Old English word 'gerefa', meaning a guardian or steward. This referred to an administrative officer who supervised the lands of a manor and collected rents and taxes on behalf of the lord of the manor.

The earliest recorded reference to the surname Reeve can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England and parts of Wales ordered by William the Conqueror. Several individuals with the name Reeve or similar spellings like Reve and Reyve appear in this historical record.

In the 12th century, the surname Reeve began to appear in various records and documents across England. One notable example is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1166, which mention a Thomas Reve. The surname was also recorded in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1207, which include the name William le Reve.

During the Middle Ages, the Reeve surname was often associated with particular places or manors. For instance, the surname Reve of Taunton referred to an individual with the title in the town of Taunton, Somerset. Similarly, the name Reve of Clarendon was used for a reeve connected to the royal manor of Clarendon in Wiltshire.

Several notable individuals throughout history have borne the surname Reeve. One of the earliest was John Reeue (c. 1200-1258), an English landowner and judge who served as a justice of the Common Pleas under King Henry III. Another prominent figure was Sir Edmund Reeve (c. 1360-1425), a Member of Parliament and landowner in Suffolk during the 15th century.

In the 16th century, Richard Reeve (c. 1510-1588) was a renowned English churchman who served as a chaplain to Queen Elizabeth I and became the Bishop of Norwich in 1585. During the same period, the poet and courtier Thomas Reeve (c. 1550-1611) was a notable figure at the court of Queen Elizabeth I.

In the 18th century, Tapping Reeve (1744-1823) was a prominent American lawyer and jurist who founded the Litchfield Law School in Connecticut, one of the first law schools in the United States. His legacy had a significant impact on legal education in the country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Reeve

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

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

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

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