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

Traver, 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 Traver surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Traver in America

Traver is the 8697th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Traver surname appeared 3,774 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Traver.

We can also compare 2010 data for Traver 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 Traver

The surname TRAVER has its origins in France and can be traced back to the early 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "traveir," which means "to cross" or "to traverse." This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who lived near a crossing point or bridge.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the TRAVER name can be found in the Cartulaire de Marmoutier, a medieval cartulary from the Abbey of Marmoutier in Tours, France, dating back to the late 11th century. Here, the name appears as "Travarius," an early spelling variation.

In the 13th century, the name TRAVER began appearing in various English records, indicating that those bearing the surname had likely migrated from France to England during the Norman Conquest or shortly thereafter. One notable example is Robert le Traver, who is mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1221.

The TRAVER name is also closely linked to several place names in England, such as Trevorrow in Cornwall and Trevera in Shropshire. These place names likely originated from the same root as the surname, further solidifying its connection to the concept of traversing or crossing.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the TRAVER surname. One of the earliest was John Traver, a prominent English landowner born around 1480 in Tilbury, Essex. Another was Robert Traver, a 16th-century English lawyer and Member of Parliament, born in 1523 in Byfleet, Surrey.

In the 17th century, John Traver (1601-1670) was a prominent Puritan minister and author in Massachusetts Bay Colony. Later, François Traver (1713-1788) was a French military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War, fighting alongside the Continental Army.

Another notable figure was Zachariah Traver (1801-1880), an American politician and lawyer from New York who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1849 to 1851.

The TRAVER surname has a rich history spanning centuries and multiple countries, with its origins deeply rooted in the concept of traversing or crossing, reflecting the migratory patterns and experiences of those who bore this name throughout the ages.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Traver

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

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

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

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