2000
#3,943
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,273
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.07
Rare Last name
Cave
An occupational surname referring to someone who lived in or worked in a cave or a hollow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,381 Americans carry the last name Cave. That puts it at #4,192 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,537 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cave surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cave with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.4K
1 in 36,537
Census rank
#4,192
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,181 bearers of the surname Cave in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4192nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cave, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.3%. The next largest groups are Black (13.2%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cave
The surname Cave is of English origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old Norman French word "cave," meaning a cave or underground dwelling. The name likely originated as a topographic name, given to someone who lived near or in a cave.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1182, which mentions a Roger de la Cave. This suggests that the name was initially used as a descriptive surname, indicating a person's association with a specific cave or location.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records across England. The Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273 mention a Richard de la Cave, while the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1285 reference a Thomas de la Cave.
The surname Cave has also been linked to various place names throughout England. For example, there is a village called Cave in East Yorkshire, which may have contributed to the adoption of the name by individuals residing in or near that area.
Notable historical figures bearing the surname Cave include:
1. Sir Ambrose Cave (1504-1568), an English lawyer and politician who served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
2. William Cave (1637-1713), an English clergyman and scholar known for his work "Apostolici, or, The History of the Apostles and Fathers in the First Three Centuries of the Church."
3. Edward Cave (1691-1754), an English publisher and the founder of The Gentleman's Magazine, one of the earliest periodicals in English.
4. Stephen Cave (1820-1904), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Shoreham from 1857 to 1859.
5. Sir Lewis William Cave (1832-1897), an English lawyer and judge who served as a Lord Justice of Appeal and was knighted in 1887.
The surname Cave has undergone various spelling variations throughout history, including Cave, Cavey, and Cavie. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialectal differences and the evolution of language over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cave
Among Census respondents with the surname Cave, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.3%. The next largest groups are Black (13.2%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Cave bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Cave surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.3% · 6,163
- Black or African American13.2% · 1,082
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 371
- Two or more races4.4% · 360
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 180
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cave
Cave appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#4,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,389
+116 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 2.84
Rank movement Down 285 places
2020
#4,192
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,181
-208 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 2.74
Rank movement Up 36 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,943 | 8,273 | 3.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,228 | 8,389 | 2.84 | +116 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 285 places |
| 2020 | #4,192 | 8,181 | 2.74 | -208 bearers (-2.5%) | Up 36 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Cave surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,228 | #4,192 | 0.9% |
| Count | 8,389 | 8,181 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.84 | 2.74 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cave bearers went from 8,389 to 8,181 (-2.5% change). The surname moved up 36 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,228 to #4,192.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cave
FAQ
Cave surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cave?
Name Census estimates that about 9,381 living Americans carry the surname Cave. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,537 residents.
How common is Cave?
Cave ranks #4,192 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,181 people with the surname Cave. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,381), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Cave.
Has Cave become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cave went from 8,389 recorded bearers to 8,181. That is a decrease of 208 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,228 to #4,192.
What does the Census say about the background of Cave?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cave, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.3%. The next largest groups are Black (13.2%) and Hispanic (4.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cave in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.3% (6,163 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cave appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.3%), Black (13.2%), Hispanic (4.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Cave (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Cave mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who lived in or worked in a cave or a hollow. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Cave (2.74 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Cave?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Cave, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.