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Reeves Family History

Reeves Surname Meaning

English: variant of Reeve with post-medieval excrescent -s. English: from Middle English reve + genitival -s for the son, daughter, wife, or servant of a reeve or of someone surnamed Reeve.

English: from Middle English atte Reves, a topographic and occupational name for someone who lived and probably worked ‘at the reeve's (house)’. English: topographic name for someone who lived on the margin of a wood or other geographical feature from a misdivision of the Middle English phrase atter eves ‘at the edge or border’ (Old English æt thære efese). See Eaves.

Irish (Limerick): from Ó Rímheadha, later Ó Rímheá ‘descendant of Rímheadh’, a personal name derived from rímid meaning ‘counter’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Reeves family from?

You can see how Reeves families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Reeves family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Reeves families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 2,245 Reeves families living in London. This was about 19% of all the recorded Reeves's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Reeves families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Reeves surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Reeves ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Reeves. 8% of Reeves men worked as a General Labourer and 65% of Reeves women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Reeves were Bricklayer and Private Means.

View Census Data for Reeves | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    8%
  • Builders Labourer
    4%
  • Incapacitated
    3%
  • Bricklayer
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    65%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    3%
  • Private Means
    2%

What Reeves family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 559,000 census records available for the last name Reeves. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Reeves census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Reeves

Passenger Lists

There are 37,000 immigration records available for the last name Reeves. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Reeves immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 85,000 military records available for the last name Reeves. For the veterans among your Reeves ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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