Raven
- Gender
- Mostly girls
- Say it
- RAY-ven
- Origin
- English
- UK rank, 2025
- #457 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #404 for girls
Raven is a name of English origin, meaning “raven (the bird)”. In 2025 it ranked 457th for girls in the UK (97 babies) and 404th for girls in the US (771 babies).
What does Raven mean?
English: word name, from Old English hraefn
“raven (the bird)”
From the English word for the large black bird; legend says Britain will fall if the Tower of London's ravens leave.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Raven a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Raven has been given to girls and boys, mostly girls. In 2025, it was given to 97 girls and 18 boys in the UK and 771 girls and 42 boys in the US.
How popular is Raven in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 457th among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 97 about 1 in 2,900 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steady up 23% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 97 girls in the UK were named Raven, making it the 457th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 544th. Its busiest year was 2021, with 111 girls. 18 boys were also named Raven in 2025 (1,537th for boys).
2025 had fewer girls named Raven than any year since 2020.
Half of all the girls named Raven in the UK since 1996 were born between 2014 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 101 girls in the UK were given Raven or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #436, up from #457 for this spelling alone.
- Raven 97
- Raeven 4
In 2025, 84% of the babies named Raven in the UK were girls.
Among girls in 2025, it was 444th in England and Wales and 429th in Scotland.
Raven in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 97 | #457 |
| 2024 | 109 | #433 |
| 2023 | 108 | #427 |
| 2022 | 108 | #433 |
| 2021 | 111 | #437 |
| 2020 | 81 | #544 |
| 2019 | 92 | #498 |
| 2018 | 82 | #560 |
| 2017 | 81 | #585 |
| 2016 | 69 | #667 |
| 2015 | 63 | #692 |
| 2014 | 46 | #891 |
| 2013 | 27 | #1,324 |
| 2012 | 22 | #1,516 |
| 2011 | 9 | #2,794 |
| 2010 | 22 | #1,475 |
| 2009 | 15 | #1,848 |
| 2008 | 21 | #1,443 |
| 2007 | 17 | #1,614 |
| 2006 | 22 | #1,272 |
| 2005 | 27 | #1,022 |
| 2004 | 17 | #1,399 |
| 2003 | 27 | #965 |
| 2002 | 14 | #1,475 |
| 2001 | 20 | #1,118 |
| 2000 | 20 | #1,105 |
| 1999 | 15 | #1,347 |
| 1998 | 14 | #1,417 |
| 1997 | 17 | #1,227 |
| 1996 | 15 | #1,309 |
How popular is Raven in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 404th among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 771 about 1 in 2,100 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steady up 8% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 771 girls in the US were named Raven, making it the 404th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 417th. Its busiest year was 1993, with 2,285 girls. It first appears in the records in 1941. 42 boys were also named Raven in 2025 (2,940th for boys).
2025 had fewer girls named Raven than any year since 2020.
Half of all the girls named Raven in the US since 1880 were born between 1993 and 2009, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 983 girls in the US were given Raven or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #341, up from #404 for this spelling alone.
Raven in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 771 | #404 |
| 2024 | 816 | #386 |
| 2023 | 848 | #360 |
| 2022 | 772 | #408 |
| 2021 | 779 | #407 |
| 2020 | 749 | #417 |
| 2019 | 746 | #425 |
| 2018 | 751 | #413 |
| 2017 | 713 | #443 |
| 2016 | 637 | #488 |
| 2015 | 658 | #486 |
| 2014 | 619 | #505 |
| 2013 | 580 | #513 |
| 2012 | 553 | #543 |
| 2011 | 489 | #591 |
| 2010 | 488 | #600 |
| 2009 | 476 | #632 |
| 2008 | 500 | #611 |
| 2007 | 631 | #507 |
| 2006 | 736 | #434 |
| 2005 | 905 | #348 |
| 2004 | 1,220 | #264 |
| 2003 | 1,428 | #231 |
| 2002 | 1,338 | #237 |
| 2001 | 1,355 | #234 |
| 2000 | 1,447 | #215 |
| 1999 | 1,527 | #202 |
| 1998 | 1,653 | #185 |
| 1997 | 1,781 | #169 |
| 1996 | 1,622 | #184 |
| 1995 | 1,757 | #170 |
| 1994 | 2,075 | #156 |
| 1993 | 2,285 | #139 |
| 1992 | 2,017 | #151 |
| 1991 | 2,026 | #150 |
| 1990 | 1,760 | #166 |
| 1989 | 476 | #494 |
| 1988 | 327 | #612 |
| 1987 | 348 | #570 |
| 1986 | 325 | #593 |
| 1985 | 403 | #505 |
| 1984 | 407 | #491 |
| 1983 | 425 | #470 |
| 1982 | 469 | #454 |
| 1981 | 380 | #517 |
| 1980 | 408 | #499 |
| 1979 | 346 | #542 |
| 1978 | 342 | #532 |
| 1977 | 299 | #578 |
| 1976 | 100 | #1,154 |
| 1975 | 17 | #3,773 |
| 1974 | 15 | #4,040 |
| 1973 | 10 | #5,189 |
| 1972 | 25 | #2,747 |
| 1971 | 26 | #2,736 |
| 1970 | 8 | #5,817 |
| 1969 | 23 | #2,768 |
| 1968 | 14 | #3,609 |
| 1967 | 14 | #3,483 |
| 1966 | 22 | #2,585 |
| 1965 | 14 | #3,401 |
| 1964 | 5 | #6,766 |
| 1963 | 14 | #3,457 |
| 1962 | 13 | #3,591 |
| 1961 | 8 | #4,881 |
| 1960 | 11 | #3,919 |
| 1959 | 8 | #4,624 |
| 1958 | 13 | #3,378 |
| 1957 | 8 | #4,535 |
| 1956 | 6 | #5,324 |
| 1955 | 5 | #5,826 |
| 1954 | 5 | #5,751 |
| 1953 | 12 | #3,268 |
| 1952 | 5 | #5,561 |
| 1951 | 5 | #5,413 |
| 1950 | 0 | – |
| 1949 | 7 | #4,234 |
| 1948 | 9 | #3,591 |
| 1947 | 13 | #2,897 |
| 1946 | 0 | – |
| 1945 | 6 | #4,023 |
| 1944 | 0 | – |
| 1943 | 5 | #4,690 |
| 1942 | 5 | #4,620 |
| 1941 | 6 | #3,952 |
Names like Raven
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
River, Prisha, Saanvi, Eden, Navy, Anya, Arya, Gursanjh, Aadhya, Priya, Hana, Aisha
Other spellings of Raven
Names related to Raven
More English names
Lily, Evelyn, Hudson, Ivy, Harper, Grace, Violet, Willow, Daisy, Poppy, Riley, Oakley, Mason, Cooper, Ruby, Hallie
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Raven: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/raven, updated 20 October 2026.