Raven Surname

36,291st
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 14,535 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Aruba

Raven Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Raven.' In Domesday the name existed both in Derbyshire and Cheshire; compare Sparrowhawk, also a personal name at the same period. In place-names like Ravenscroft, Rawnsley, &c, the probability is that the spot took its name from Raven, the proprietor, rather than from the fact that ravens abounded there.

Read More About This Surname

Raven Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States4,6091:78,6428,978
England4,0401:13,7922,043
Netherlands1,7901:9,4341,225
Canada1,0391:35,4634,528
Australia8531:31,6484,209
Germany4011:200,76223,045
South Africa3201:169,30518,832
New Zealand2671:16,9602,965
Venezuela1951:154,8934,717
Egypt1531:600,88732,813
Wales1261:24,5602,581
Panama971:40,3332,124
Scotland621:86,3526,198
Belgium561:205,29726,724
Spain551:850,03734,138
India521:14,751,257245,013
Brazil481:4,459,882118,224
Aruba281:3,696529
Costa Rica261:183,8492,454
Singapore261:211,83510,313
Switzerland251:328,51725,592
Mexico181:6,895,90033,734
Ireland161:294,30910,207
Thailand151:4,709,223352,754
Zambia151:1,056,66130,252
Philippines131:7,787,556197,164
Israel121:713,13647,700
Papua New Guinea111:741,24783,447
Zimbabwe101:1,543,82478,460
China91:151,924,6187,954
Estonia81:165,22626,217
Indonesia81:16,531,149488,268
United Arab Emirates81:1,145,28440,289
France81:8,302,840321,660
Poland71:5,429,821146,768
Norway71:734,61250,907
Malaysia71:4,213,461150,293
Gibraltar61:5,659991
Cambodia61:2,581,1918,069
Qatar61:393,00055,922
Northern Ireland51:369,00715,220
Japan51:25,568,85950,629
Botswana41:546,73222,624
Chile41:4,404,11844,633
Fiji41:223,5982,635
Peru41:7,946,03141,846
Finland31:1,832,23457,803
Italy31:20,385,563143,117
Hong Kong31:2,445,1619,595
Afghanistan21:16,076,59243,178
Denmark21:2,822,35876,882
Sweden21:4,923,378241,212
Jordan21:4,421,21822,351
Syria11:19,301,02222,457
Mongolia11:2,825,28917,010
Taiwan11:23,444,74693,622
Czechia11:10,633,469206,023
Togo11:7,247,76812,049
Trinidad and Tobago11:1,363,97522,013
Colombia11:47,774,07244,230
Malta11:430,2723,380
Bulgaria11:6,978,90586,260
Barbados11:287,4482,772
Argentina11:42,743,414282,706
Algeria11:38,631,551130,422
Luxembourg11:580,54215,155
Lebanon11:5,637,08332,436
Kuwait11:3,800,69427,187
Kenya11:46,179,900103,372
Romania11:20,077,87089,414
Hungary11:9,816,27773,288
Nicaragua11:6,021,0908,768
Isle of Man11:85,8224,091
Guinea-Bissau11:1,728,021323
Greece11:11,079,790145,225
Portugal11:10,418,24125,048
Puerto Rico11:3,550,1399,109
Nepal11:28,480,95622,413
Iceland11:380,09011,096
Saint Lucia11:178,7813,800
Namibia11:2,409,40119,676
Ecuador11:15,905,84650,210
Slovenia11:2,487,67531,128
DR Congo11:73,879,570260,543
South Korea11:51,240,2568,015
Dominican Republic11:10,432,93236,508
Myanmar11:51,937,9852,166
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland21:2,214,93333,683
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England2,5131:9,7001,456
Wales41:392,10412,338
Scotland41:935,80421,348
Jersey11:51,8823,898
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States2871:174,97815,686

The alternate forms: Ravén (5) are calculated separately.

Raven (17,657) may also be a first name.

Raven Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Raven.' In Domesday the name existed both in Derbyshire and Cheshire; compare Sparrowhawk, also a personal name at the same period. In place-names like Ravenscroft, Rawnsley, &c, the probability is that the spot took its name from Raven, the proprietor, rather than from the fact that ravens abounded there.

Raven de Slinghawe, 1155: History and Antiquities of the County Palatine of Durham.

Gospatric fil. Raven, 1177: Hodgson's Northumberland.

William Raven, 1190: ibid.

Raven de Riding, 1233: ibid.

Henry Raven, Cambridgeshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

1618. John Raven and Leah Cotton: Marriage Lic. (London).

1791. Married — Robert Hoodless and Elizabeth Raven: St. George, Hanover Square.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

(English and Scandinavian) an ancient English and Scandinavian pers. name; a nickname and sign-name from the Raven [Old English hrœfn = Old Norse hrafn] The name occurs in the form Rœvœn in ‘The Oldest-Known List of Scandinavian Names’ (Yorks, 10th cent.)—Saga-Book of the Viking Club, Jan. 1906, p. 296.

The raven was the Danes’ national emblem.

Among the spoil taken by the Saxons was the famous banner of the Raven, said to have been woven in one day by the sisters of Inguar and Ubba, and to have possessed the property of appearing before every battle flying like a living bird if the Danes were to be victorious; while in the contrary event it hung down motionless.—Lappenberg-Thorpe, Anglo-Saxon Kings, ii. 62; ad. from Asser, A.D. 878.

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

A personal name derived from the bird, borne in the Danish standard. The Domesday of Leicestershire presents us with a tenant in chief called Raven-a true Scandinavian, doubtless. Rafn still exists in Denmark as a personal name, and is borne as a surname by a distinguished professor and archaeologist of Copenhagen.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

(Dutch/Flemish), Ravens. van Ravenswaai, of Ravens' lake.

Surnames (1857) by Bernard Homer Dixon

From the Old Norse, Hræfn; from the Swedish, Ravn; from the Danish, Rafn, Raun; from the Dutch, Raven; in the Domesday Book, Raven, Rauen; a personal name.

British Family Names: Their Origin and Meaning (1903) by Henry Barber

Raven: again a sign, the armorial bearing of the Corbetts. But Rafn, the Old Norse for a raven, remained in Northumbria as a personal name till late.

Family Names And Their Story (1913) by Sabine Baring-Gould

Six centuries ago, the Ravens were represented in the neighbouring counties of Cambridge, Bedford, and Huntingdon (H. R.).

Homes of Family Names in Great Britain (1890) by Henry Brougham Guppy

Raven Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Raven Come From? nationality or country of origin

The surname Raven (Arabic: رفين, Georgian: რავენ, Hindi: रवेन, Marathi: रावेङ, Oriya: ରାଣି) occurs more in The United States more than any other country/territory. It may also be found in the variant forms: Ravén. Click here for further possible spellings of this last name.

How Common Is The Last Name Raven? popularity and diffusion

This last name is the 36,291st most frequent family name worldwide. It is borne by approximately 1 in 501,379 people. Raven occurs predominantly in Europe, where 46 percent of Raven reside; 38 percent reside in North America and 37 percent reside in Anglo-North America. Raven is also the 41,401st most common first name globally. It is borne by 17,657 people.

Raven is most widely held in The United States, where it is held by 4,609 people, or 1 in 78,642. In The United States Raven is most frequent in: Texas, where 18 percent reside, California, where 13 percent reside and New York, where 6 percent reside. Aside from The United States this surname is found in 86 countries. It also occurs in England, where 28 percent reside and The Netherlands, where 12 percent reside.

Raven Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The occurrence of Raven has changed through the years. In The United States the number of people carrying the Raven last name rose 1,606 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it rose 161 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it rose 3,150 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it rose 1,550 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it rose 800 percent between 1901 and 2014.

Raven Last Name Statistics demography

The religious adherence of those bearing the last name is principally Anglican (100%) in Ireland.

In The United States those holding the Raven surname are 4.91% more likely to be registered Republicans than the national average, with 51.68% being registered with the party.

The amount Raven earn in different countries varies greatly. In Norway they earn 6.58% less than the national average, earning 323,297 kr per year; in Peru they earn 259.18% more than the national average, earning S/. 69,628 per year; in South Africa they earn 108.16% more than the national average, earning R 494,664 per year; in United States they earn 0.01% more than the national average, earning $43,152 USD per year and in Canada they earn 1.38% less than the national average, earning $48,998 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Ravén935/
Raeven91496/
Raveen91132/
Reaven91107/
Ravene9130/
Ravent9124/
Rayven9120/
Raiven9110/
Ravien9110/
Ravein912/
Raveng912/
Rhaven911/
Ravend911/
Ravenn911/
Rasven911/
Ravean911/
Rauven911/
Raveane83388/
Raajven8346/
Ravenne8329/
Raveend834/
Rraveen833/
Ravetin832/
Ravisen832/
Reavean831/
Raeveen831/
Rhavene831/
Ravin802,309/
Reven80464/
Rawen80359/
Roven80262/
Ravem8030/
Ravyn8022/
Ravechin772/
Rajhvend771/
Rhavenne771/
Ravesing771/
Raveanne771/
Rachvene771/
Reauvean770/
Ravina736,434/
Ravion73303/
Ravine73274/
Rohven73248/
Reuven73232/
Roeven73201/
Ravain73133/
Ravind73125/
Reyven7369/
Roveyn7362/
Rawein7355/
Rovein7354/
Raving7349/
Ruiven7335/
Ravyna7321/
Reeven7315/
Rouven7315/
Reveen7314/
Reavin7310/
Rauvin739/
Ravoin739/
Revien738/
Rajvin738/
Rovgen737/
Rawene737/
Ratvin737/
Rayvin737/
Raween737/
Reiven735/
Rovien735/
Raväng735/
Roveen734/
Rabene734/
Rasvin733/
Ravint733/
Rravin733/
Reveun733/
Rhoven732/
Rabein732/
Rabean732/
Rahwen732/
Ravinh731/
Ravinn731/
Revean731/
Raveem731/
Rzavin731/
Roveng731/
Raivin731/
Raouen731/
Raivyn731/
Rovean730/
Rovend730/
Rovene730/
Raveanová716/
Rassvetin711/
Rzhavin67230/
Reijven67158/
Ravaine67137/
Rovenne67104/
Rovienė6765/
Rohvein6745/
Rampean6727/
Rzhavyn6725/
Ravigne6713/
Rajbhen6711/
Rabetin678/
Revienė675/
Reabein674/
Rotvein673/
Rabeang672/
Rotvejn672/
Rothven671/
Rraween671/
Reavyng671/
Ravhina671/
Raybean671/
Hravina671/
Raiwhen671/
Rabeinn671/
Rajbein671/
Ravicin671/
Rauvina671/
Ravaain671/
Rouvein671/
Roveine671/
Rattvem671/
Raweenh671/
Raweine671/
Rhavyne671/
Ratbean671/
Ranpean671/
Hravyna671/
Rahbein670/
Rovisen670/
Rheavin670/
Rabesin670/

Raven Name Transliterations

TransliterationICU LatinPercentage of Incidence
Raven in the Georgian language
რავენraven-
Raven in the Oriya language
ରାଣିrani-
Raven in the Hindi language
रवेनravena62.5
रावेनravena18.75
रावेन्द्रravendra12.5
रवीनravina6.25
Raven in the Marathi language
रावेङravena33.33
रवेनravena33.33
रवेणravena22.22
रावेनravena5.56
रावणravana5.56
Raven in the Arabic language
رفينrfyn-
رافينrafyn-
ريفنryfn-
رايفنrayfn-

Search for Another Surname

Raven Reference & Research

Ravenel DNA Website - A web page dedicated to the genetic research of those who bear the surname and its variants.

Ravenel FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

The name statistics are still in development, sign up for information on more maps and data

By signing up to the mailing list you will only receive emails specifically about name reference on Forebears and your information will not be distributed to 3rd parties.

Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Raven
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis