Contents [hide]

Reaves History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Reaves History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Reaves

What does the name Reaves mean?

The Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain were the first to use the name of Reaves. The name had a practical origin since it came from when its initial bearer worked as a local representative of a lord, a reeve, sheriff, steward or bailiff. 1 2 The surname Reaves was originally derived from the Old English (ge)refa which referred to a representative. 3 The name is "an official appointed by the lord of the manor to supervise his tenants' work." 4

Early Origins of the Reaves family

The surname Reaves was first found in Leicestershire where Walter and James le Reve were listed in 1220. John atte Reuese was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327. The plural form of the name which is actually most common today dates back to 1332 when Richard del Reves was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Lancashire in 1332. 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Sampson le Reve, Suffolk; and John le Reve, Cambridgeshire. 5

In Somerset, William le Reve, John le Reveson, and William le Reveson were listed there 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 6

Early History of the Reaves family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Reaves research. Another 124 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1585, 1594, 1608, 1611, 1618, 1638, 1647, 1658, 1660, 1662, 1667, 1672, 1673, 1678, 1686, 1726, 1729, 1737, 1818, 1861, 1865 and 1900 are included under the topic Early Reaves History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Reaves Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Reaves include Reeve, Reve, Reave, Reaves, Reeves and others.

Early Notables of the Reaves family

Distinguished members of the family include Edmund Reeve (1585-1647), English Justice of the Common Pleas, son of Christopher Reeve of Felthorpe, Norfolk; Edmund Reeve (died 1660), English divine, vicar of Hayes-cum-Norwood, Middlesex; Thomas Reeve (1594-1672), English Royalist divine, born at Langley, Norfolk, son of Thomas Reeve, a husbandman; John Reeve (1608-1658), an English plebeian prophet, believed the voice of God had instructed him to found a Third Commission in...
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Reaves Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Reaves Ranking

In the United States, the name Reaves is the 1,943^rd most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Reaves family to Ireland

Some of the Reaves family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 196 words (14 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Reaves migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Reaves or a variant listed above:

Reaves Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Reaves, who landed in Virginia in 1638 8
Robert Reaves, who landed in Virginia in 1655 8
Ann Reaves, who arrived in Maryland in 1667 8
Edward Reaves, who arrived in Maryland in 1667 8
Francis Reaves, who landed in Maryland in 1667 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Reaves Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Susanna Reaves, who arrived in Virginia in 1719 8

Reaves migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Reaves Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

William Reaves, who settled in Bell Island, Newfoundland in 1709 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Reaves (post 1700) +

Gayle Reaves, American Pulitzer Prize and George Polk Award winning journalist
James Michael Reaves (1950-2023), American Emmy Award winning script writer, known for his work Gargoyles and Batman: The Animated Series and Batman: The Animated Series
Thomas Johnson "John" Reaves (1950-2017), American college and professional football player
Stephanie Reaves (b. 1967), American professional race driver
Kenneth Milton Reaves (b. 1944), former professional American football defensive back
Mallory Reaves (b. 1984), American writer
Shawn Reaves (b. 1978), American actor
Thomas H. Reaves, American politician, Candidate for Mayor of Forest Park, Ohio, 1961, 1961 10
Genevera Reaves, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Mississippi, 1980 10
Gene W. Reaves, American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for Michigan State Senate 2nd District, 1928 10
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Reaves family +

USS Arizona

Mr. Casbie Reaves, American Seaman First Class from Arkansas, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 11

The Reaves Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Animum rege
Motto Translation: Rule thy mind.

Citations +

Dixon, Bernard Homer, Surnames. London: John Wilson and son, 1857. Print
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 17) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html