Reeve Surname

18,676th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 29,512 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
England
Highest density in:
Guernsey

Reeve Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from an official title. 'the reeve' a bailiff, a steward.

'His lordes shepe, his nete, and his deirie, His swine, his hors, his store, and his pultrie, Were holly in this reves governing.': Chaucer's C. Excerpta e Rotulis Finium in Turri Londinensi.

Read More About This Surname

Reeve Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England13,7151:4,063545
United States7,7641:46,6855,673
Australia3,4191:7,8961,177
Canada1,7281:21,3232,934
New Zealand1,1221:4,036640
South Africa3341:162,20918,194
Wales2241:13,8151,513
Scotland2001:26,7692,879
Indonesia1861:711,01755,051
Liberia801:55,1074,868
Chile721:244,6737,410
France601:1,107,045119,335
Germany551:1,463,73689,144
Spain511:916,70735,562
Singapore431:128,0865,748
Portugal381:274,16410,086
Brazil361:5,946,509145,792
Thailand311:2,278,656255,572
Guernsey291:2,222539
Northern Ireland231:80,2195,468
Netherlands231:734,22557,169
Malta181:23,9041,289
Italy181:3,397,594101,426
Ireland161:294,30910,207
Sweden161:615,42245,338
United Arab Emirates141:654,44824,061
Switzerland141:586,63740,624
Gibraltar131:2,612585
Qatar121:196,50026,891
Norway121:428,52437,411
China111:124,301,9616,553
Malaysia111:2,681,293102,971
Belgium101:1,149,66482,403
Zimbabwe101:1,543,82478,460
United States Virgin Islands91:12,2641,665
Hong Kong81:916,9354,774
Denmark71:806,38843,211
Mexico61:20,687,70153,861
Israel51:1,711,52784,568
Dominican Republic41:2,608,23320,941
India41:191,766,3461,073,940
Russia41:36,030,764577,589
Philippines41:25,309,556279,062
Taiwan41:5,861,18633,577
Bahamas31:130,5841,472
Jersey31:33,0674,675
Bolivia31:3,538,81111,393
Cyprus31:294,9598,690
Zambia31:5,283,30743,479
Egypt31:30,645,251132,600
Monaco31:12,3552,088
South Korea21:25,620,1284,175
Iceland21:190,0456,825
Oman21:1,843,9869,590
Ecuador21:7,952,92334,269
Vietnam11:92,646,0548,382
Aruba11:103,4772,586
Argentina11:42,743,414282,706
Guam11:160,1214,893
Austria11:8,515,435118,036
Saint Lucia11:178,7813,800
Turkey11:77,821,422191,047
Tunisia11:610,62630,336
Costa Rica11:4,780,06913,345
Puerto Rico11:3,550,1399,109
Poland11:38,008,749231,653
Peru11:31,784,12364,452
Nigeria11:177,142,758748,972
Mongolia11:2,825,28917,010
Mauritius11:1,293,41716,552
Isle of Man11:85,8224,091
Mali11:16,969,0354,067
Kuwait11:3,800,69427,187
Kazakhstan11:17,682,496204,010
Japan11:127,844,29373,547
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland21:2,214,93333,683
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England6,9811:3,492493
Scotland151:249,5488,553
Isle of Man91:6,030597
Jersey61:8,6471,503
Wales51:313,68310,604
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States1,9191:26,1693,220

Reeve (835) may also be a first name.

Reeve Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from an official title. 'the reeve' a bailiff, a steward.

'His lordes shepe, his nete, and his deirie, His swine, his hors, his store, and his pultrie, Were holly in this reves governing.': Chaucer's C. Excerpta e Rotulis Finium in Turri Londinensi.

Sampson le Reve, Suffolk 1273. Hundred Rolls.

John le Reve, Cambridgeshire, ibid.

William le Reve, Somerset, 1 Edward III: Kirby's Quest.

John le Reveson, Somerset, 1 Edward III: ibid.

William le Reveson, Somerset, 1 Edward III: ibid.

Sager le Reve. Rolls of Parliament.

1611. William Reve and Joyce Headley: Marriage Lic. (London).

1638-9. John Trott and Elizabeth Reeve: Marriage Lic. (Westminster).

Reeves is a genitive form (the son of the reeve'), just as Williams is the genitive of William.

1686. James Petre and Elizabeth Reves: Marriage Lic. (London).

1729 Baptised — Ann, d. William Reeves: St. Dionis Backchurch.

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

From the office of bailiff or steward, ME. reve. Adam the reeve of Machan was juror on an inquisition by the sheriff of Lanark, 1263 (Bain, I, 2677). In this instance the word has not arrived at the surname stage.

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

(English) Steward, Bailiff [Middle English reve, refe, etc.; Old English ge)réfa] John le Reve.—Hundred Rolls The reve was a sclendre colerik man . . . Wel koude he kepe a gerner and a bynne . . .

In youthe he lerned hadde a good myster [trade]; He was a wel good wrighte, a carpenter. —Chaucer, Cant. Tales, Prol. 587,593, 613-4. ‘What is thy name, ffellow, by thy leave’? ‘Marry,’ quoth hee, ‘ Iohn the Reeve.’— John the Reeve, 133-4. See also the quotations under Procter and Perkin (third).

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

“Land Agent” in Middle Ages. Compare “Sherriff” - “Shire-Reeve”.

South African Surnames (1965) by Eric Rosenthal

(English) A minor official appointed by the lord of the manor to supervise his tenants’ work.

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

The bailiff of a franchise or manor. Anglo-Saxon gerefa. One of Chaucer's Canterbury pilgrims is a Reeve, but the poet's account of his duties and pursuits reminds us more of a great man's farm-bailiff than of the official reeve.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

A pluralization of Reeve.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

From Reeve, a bailiff, provost, or steward, Shire—reeve, Wood—reeve, (Sheriff, Woodruff.)

An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names (1857) by William Arthur

From the German, Riewe; from the Dutch, Rieuwe; a personal name.

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

Reeve,Reeves. —Confined to the southern half of England, and not extending north of a line drawn from the Wash to the Mersey. Best represented in Wilts, Kent, Sussex, Suffolk, Norfolk, and Northamptonshire; but infrequent in the south - western counties.

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

User-submitted Reference

This surname derives from Ó Rímheàdh, an ancient Irish surname.

- donall.o.rimhea

Reeve Last Name Facts

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

Reeve (Arabic: رييف) has its highest incidence in England. It can be found as a variant:. Click here for further possible spellings of Reeve.

How Common Is The Last Name Reeve? popularity and diffusion

The surname is the 18,676th most frequent surname worldwide, borne by around 1 in 246,935 people. This surname occurs mostly in Europe, where 49 percent of Reeve live; 48 percent live in Northern Europe and 48 percent live in British Isles. Reeve is also the 282,586th most frequent first name internationally It is held by 835 people.

This surname is most frequently held in England, where it is borne by 13,715 people, or 1 in 4,063. In England Reeve is mostly found in: Greater London, where 11 percent are found, Norfolk, where 10 percent are found and Essex, where 8 percent are found. Not including England this surname is found in 74 countries. It also occurs in The United States, where 26 percent are found and Australia, where 12 percent are found.

Reeve Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The prevalency of Reeve has changed over time. In England the share of the population with the last name increased 196 percent between 1881 and 2014; in The United States it increased 405 percent between 1880 and 2014; in Wales it increased 4,480 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it increased 1,333 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it increased 800 percent between 1901 and 2014.

Reeve Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those holding the Reeve last name is principally Catholic (50%) in Ireland.

In The United States those bearing the Reeve last name are 16.2% more likely to be registered Republicans than the national average, with 62.97% registered to vote for the party.

The amount Reeve earn in different countries varies greatly. In Italy they earn 16.58% less than the national average, earning €25,051 per year; in Norway they earn 6.12% less than the national average, earning 324,907 kr per year; in South Africa they earn 115.37% more than the national average, earning R 511,812 per year; in United States they earn 7.46% more than the national average, earning $46,368 USD per year and in Canada they earn 6.03% more than the national average, earning $52,681 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Reeves91157,284/
Reever91703/
Reevey91301/
Reevie9195/
Reevez916/
Reevea911/
Rheeve911/
Reevet911/
Reevee910/
Reieve910/
Reeved910/
Reve891,991/
Rajeeve8333/
Reevess8310/
Reeveas839/
Reevees837/
Reevesd832/
Reeaves832/
Reejvee831/
Reeveer831/
Reieves830/
Reves802,406/
Revet801,306/
Reved801,183/
Revez80968/
Rever80788/
Rieve80500/
Reive80337/
Rueve80195/
Revey80154/
Reeva80133/
Resve80102/
Reebe8087/
Rebee8039/
Revei8037/
Roeve8028/
Reevy8026/
Reave8024/
Revee8012/
Hreve809/
Raeve805/
Reuve803/
Rejve802/
Reveh801/
Reyve801/
Rreve801/
Rewee801/
Reewe800/
Revea800/
Rheve800/
Rehve800/
D'Reeves772/
Rajeevee771/
Reaves7320,363/
Revesh731,293/
Reavey731,067/
Reaver73986/
Revest73931/
Reeber73621/
Reveha73613/
Reuver73514/
Reives73360/
Revett73322/
Reiver73207/
Revees73126/
Reveiz7385/
Reevis7377/
Revets7376/
Rejevi7344/
Reebie7337/
Reebes7323/
Reuwee7322/
Revess7314/
Reveas7310/
Reeues738/
Reejwe737/
Rebeae737/
Reyves735/
Reveis735/
Reveez735/
Rievie734/
Rejwee733/
Hreeva733/
Reaved732/
Reuves732/
Reybee732/
Reebey732/
Reavea732/
Rebeer732/
Rehebe732/
Reveer732/
Rejvee732/
Rheves731/
Rejewe731/
Rejive731/
Rempee731/
Rievea731/
Reubee731/
Revecz731/
Reverr731/
Rejebe731/
Revetz731/
Reuvei731/
Reveet731/
Resvee731/
Resvey731/
Ruevei731/
Revech731/
Rrevey731/
Reewet731/
Reewes730/
Reevoy730/
Rave6711,450/
Rive672,082/
Revi671,941/
Rebe671,456/
Revé671,028/
Rove67805/
Revy67388/
Rewe67234/
Rajeeva6755/
Retvedt6743/
Rheaves6731/
Rajeevi6724/
Reiveis6715/
Ryve6713/
Rêve6710/
Hrevets675/
Revetts673/
Rijeevi672/
Reavesd672/
Rzayeve672/
Åresved672/
Röve672/
Rajevee671/
Reavees671/
Reejavi671/
Reejwee671/
Resvedt671/
Reweehs671/
Revj671/
Reavett670/

Reeve Name Transliterations

TransliterationICU LatinPercentage of Incidence
Reeve in the Arabic language
رييفryyf-
ريفryf-

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Reeve Reference & Research

Reeves FamilyTree DNA Group - A group collating DNA test results for those who bear the surname, includes results of DNA tests and discussions.

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

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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 Reeve
  • 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