Raven

Raven: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “raven bird”
Origin: English
Say it: RAY-vən · 2 syllables
Used for: Girls (93% of all uses)

From the English word for the black bird, ultimately from Old English hræfn. It is also used as a given name inspired by the bird and its symbolism.

English names Names meaning nature Names meaning bird Nature names Modern names

How popular is Raven?

2024258 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Raven in 2024859

2024 rank#387 girls

Peak year1993

Total US babies since 188047,425

Raven is rising: use over the last five years is 1.6× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Raven

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Oliviaolive tree · English
Evelyndesired; little bird · English
Harperharp player · English
Violetviolet flower · English
Hazelhazel tree · English
Ellieshort form of names ending in -el or -ella · English
Lilylily flower · English
Scarlettscarlet, bright red · English

Raven questions

What does the name Raven mean?

Raven means "raven bird". It comes from English. From the English word for the black bird, ultimately from Old English hræfn. It is also used as a given name inspired by the bird and its symbolism.

Is Raven a boy or girl name?

Raven is mainly a girl's name in US records (93% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Raven?

859 US babies were named Raven in 2024. Its peak year was 1993.

How do you pronounce Raven?

Raven is usually pronounced RAY-vən.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.