Fun Facts About the Name Craven
- 371 babies named Craven: U.S. records list 371 babies given the name Craven from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Craven Mean?
Craven is an English surname that is also used occasionally as a given name, and it has two main sources. The first is the Middle English word cravaunt, meaning "defeated" or "vanquished." It came from Old French cravant, the present participle of cravanter, "to crush or overwhelm," a verb usually traced to Latin crepare, "to crack or burst." From the sense "defeated," the English word shifted to "cowardly," the meaning it carries today.
The second source is the district of Craven in Yorkshire, in northern England. Someone who came from that area could be identified by its name, and the surname is closely tied to Yorkshire. The origin of the place name itself is not settled; it is generally thought to be Brittonic, the Celtic language spoken in the region before English, rather than Old English, but the exact element and its meaning are uncertain. A separate Irish surname Craven has also been used as an anglicized form of Gaelic names such as Ó Crabháin.
Craven Name History & Origins
The word behind the nickname use, cravaunt, is recorded in Middle English first in the sense "vanquished" and later as "cowardly." Nicknames formed from ordinary words were common in medieval England, and unflattering ones were not avoided: a name could record a real defeat, a trait, or a joke at someone's expense. A man called le Cravaunt or Craven could therefore have been named for such a word rather than for a place.
The place-name source developed separately. Craven is a district in the old West Riding of Yorkshire, and it appears in medieval records, including the Domesday survey of 1086, which points to a name already in use by the late eleventh century. Because the name predates the English settlement of the region, a Brittonic origin is usually proposed, though the exact meaning has not been firmly established. Families bearing the surname are documented in Yorkshire from the Middle Ages onward.
As a given name, Craven is uncommon and appears mainly in the English-speaking world as a transferred use of the surname. The surname also appears in literature, notably as the family name of Archibald Craven in Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden (1911), a literary use that is much later than the name's medieval origins.
How Popular is the Name Craven?
Craven has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1956. Its best rank was #2,390 in 1956.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #12,423 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #9,878 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #8,936 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2013 | #12,518 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2012 | #7,658 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2010 | #11,015 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #7,316 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2008 | #7,802 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2007 | #6,703 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2006 | #9,763 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #7,654 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1992 | #7,602 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #7,496 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #6,732 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #4,937 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1976 | #5,765 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1971 | #4,496 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1969 | #4,511 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1963 | #3,372 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1962 | #3,370 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1960 | #3,736 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1959 | #4,105 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1958 | #3,076 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1956 | #2,390 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1955 | #3,573 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1953 | #3,196 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1951 | #2,885 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1950 | #3,087 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1947 | #3,836 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1946 | #2,963 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1945 | #3,411 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1944 | #3,526 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1943 | #3,643 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1942 | #2,755 | 8 | 0.0006% |
| 1941 | #2,924 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1940 | #3,196 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1938 | #3,629 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1936 | #3,223 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1934 | #2,600 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1932 | #3,885 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1931 | #3,461 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1930 | #3,355 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1929 | #3,042 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1928 | #3,130 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1927 | #2,559 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1926 | #3,453 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1925 | #3,201 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1923 | #2,990 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1922 | #3,948 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1921 | #3,596 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1920 | #3,922 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1919 | #3,170 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1916 | #4,039 | 5 | 0.0006% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Craven Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are cheerful and friendly, but are apt to have an emotional life. You like to have several lines of effort going at once. You are a good talker and promoter and seldom worry over anything. At times, you can be impatient, and impulsive. You have the ability to bring an idea to completion. You can express yourself joyously and constructively. You might be psychic, but not know it. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Craven's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Craven's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.