NORFOLK SURNAMES: R

RAVEN:
Many names proliferate despite the possible source being very rare. After all it only takes one man in the early 1400s to pass his name to four sons and for each of them to pass it on to four more for there to be 128 people of the name spread across one generational level.
So the possibility that the original Ravens were people who lived at the sign of the Raven (inns used symbols on their signs because many of their customers could not read) is quite likely. There may not have been many inns called the Raven but if just four people took their name from it in the early 1400s . . . (well you work it out). It could also come from a black-haired person or someone who dressed in black but the inn name is more likely.
The IGI for Norfolk reveals 1062 mentions of the name (the earliest being 1528) and the 1881 census has 214 Ravens in Norfolk.

REDHEAD:
This is of English and Scots origin and in its early days was a nickname for someone with red hair from the Middle English ‘re(a)d’ for red and ‘heved’ for head (from the Old English heafod).
The main variation is Readhead.
In the 1881 census for Norfolk there were 15 examples of the name Redhead.
The International Genealogical Index for Norfolk shows 74 references to people with the name of Redhead or one of its variants. The earliest dates back to 1534.

REEVE:
Reeve is definitely a popular name in the East Anglian area and the word is also the basis for sheriff (formerly the shire reeve). The reeve was originally a steward or bailiff on an estate representing the lord of the manor in his absence. In time the position became that of the main upholder of the law in a town or district. This could be an elected position but sometimes became hereditary and a long-term holder of the post would eventually have it as a by-name.
It could also refer jokingly to someone who was the Middle Ages’ equivalent of a barrack room lawyer and acted as though he was a reeve.
In the IGI for Norfolk there are only 500 occurrences of the name but they go back to 1496 (reflecting the fact that there were not many reeves compared to the whole population).
In the 1881 census for Norfolk there are 1430 people bearing the name Reeve.

SURNAME DIRECTORY: A B C D E F G H I J K N P R S T

Click the letter to see some examples of surnames, their meanings and distribution in Norfolk.