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

Traven, 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 Traven surname is from the 2000 census data.

Popularity of Traven in America

Traven is the 142819th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Traven surname appeared 107 times in the 2000 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Traven.

The history of the last name Traven

The surname Traven is believed to have its origins in Germany. The likely root of the name can be traced back to the Old High German word "trawe," which means "trust" or "faith." This would suggest that the surname originally could have been a descriptor for someone who was considered trustworthy or a person of faith. Historically, surnames that derive from personal qualities were not uncommon in medieval Europe.

In the areas around Saxony and Lower Saxony, the surname Traven and its variants start to appear in medieval records. Historical evidence from the 12th and 13th centuries shows the name in various manuscripts, although spellings varied considerably due to the lack of standardized orthography. For example, you might encounter Traven, Trauwen, or even Treuwen in different documents.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Traven appears in a 13th-century land grant document in Saxony. A certain Heinrich von Traven is mentioned as a minor nobleman who held some small parcels of land in the region. The exact year was 1249, making Heinrich one of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname.

Moving forward to the 15th century, the records of the Hanseatic League, a powerful commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Northwestern and Central Europe, list a merchant named Johann Traven, born in 1410 and active in commerce and trade throughout the league until his death in 1478. His success in trading between Hamburg and Lübeck brought him some local prominence.

By the early 17th century, variations of the name can be found throughout other parts of Germany. A notable figure during this period was Anna Traven (1575-1635), a midwife in Bremen who was documented in several local church records. Her reputation for skillful midwifery earned her mentions in various town charters and local histories.

Later, during the era of European exploration and colonization, the Traven surname appears in the context of the military. Georg Traven (1612-1683), a mercenary captain, served in various military campaigns across Europe, including the Thirty Years' War. His service records and personal letters, preserved in the archives of the Duchy of Brunswick, provide valuable insights into the life and times of military men of that era.

In more modern history, the surname gained literary fame through the enigmatic figure of B. Traven, a German novelist known for his adventure novels set in Mexico. Although the exact identity of B. Traven remains unclear, the author is most famous for works such as "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," published in 1927. His writing brought international attention to the name, cementing its place in 20th-century literary history.

These various historical instances demonstrate the deep roots and diverse paths of the surname Traven over the centuries. Whether appearing in land grants, commerce records, midwifery documents, military archives, or literary fame, the name has left its mark in multiple facets of society. Each bearer of the name, from Heinrich von Traven to the enigmatic B. Traven, contributes to the rich tapestry of its history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Traven

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

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 2000 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Traven 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.

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

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

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