Cravens
A surname most likely related to a place-name or an older family name based on Craven, a historic district in northern England.
The #5,681 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 50,581 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Cravens is best understood as a surname formed from the place-name Craven, the name of a historic district in what is now North Yorkshire, England. The place-name is usually linked to an old Celtic or Brittonic root, though its exact earliest sense is uncertain. As a surname, it would originally have identified someone who came from that district, with the final -s reflecting a later family-form or possessive-style spelling.
History
The surname is found in English-speaking records as a regional or locational name and later spread through migration to North America and elsewhere. In some cases, Cravens may also reflect a variant or extended form of Craven, since surname spellings were often unstable before modern standardization. The name is now most visible in the United States, where it survives in modest numbers.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Craven is also the name of one of the historic 'riding' districts associated with Yorkshire's old regional identity, which is why the surname feels distinctly English.