How common is the surname Raven?

3,327 people in the United States had the surname Raven in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 92,800 Americans. It ranked 9,741st of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Raven?

Peter H. Raven, American botanist (1936 - 2026), followed by Michael Raven.

Where is the surname Raven most common?

Wikidata records people named Raven in the United States and Australia.

Is the surname Raven getting more or less common?

More common. 3,155 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 3,327 in 2010, up 5.5%.

Is Raven also a first name?

Yes. Raven is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Raven

A surname, carried by 3,327 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex R150 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Raven is more common than 94% of them.

Origin

A surname.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 3,327 people named Raven in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 92,800 Americans. That is up 5.5% since 2000, when the Census counted 3,155.

#9,741

rank among US surnames

3,327

people in 2010

1.1

per 100,000 Americans

+5.5%

change since 2000 (was #9,456)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#9,734	Strode	3,331	92,689
#9,735	Crispin	3,330	92,716
#9,736	Clymer	3,329	92,744
#9,741	Raven	3,327	92,800
#9,745	Phoenix	3,326	92,828
#9,747	Frady	3,325	92,856

Who is named Raven

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

70% of people named Raven identified as white (not Hispanic), 22% as Black (not Hispanic) and 4.5% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 70%
Black (not Hispanic) 22%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 4.5%
Two or more races 2.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.6%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Ravens

4 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Peter H. Raven
American botanist (1936 - 2026)
Michael Raven
American pornographic film director, born 1969
Arlene Raven
American art historian, 1944–2006
Robert John Raven
Australian arachnologist, born 1960

Notable Ravens come mostly from the United States (3) and Australia (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Rayven
Reighven

Raven has the Soundex code R150, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code R150.

Questions

How common is the surname Raven?: 3,327 people in the United States had the surname Raven in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 92,800 Americans. It ranked 9,741st of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Raven?: In the 2010 Census, 70% of people named Raven identified as white (not Hispanic), and 22% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Raven?: Peter H. Raven, American botanist (1936 - 2026), followed by Michael Raven.
Where is the surname Raven most common?: Wikidata records people named Raven in the United States and Australia.
Is the surname Raven getting more or less common?: More common. 3,155 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 3,327 in 2010, up 5.5%.
What are other spellings of Raven?: Rayven and Reighven.
Is Raven also a first name?: Yes. Raven is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.