Reeves as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Reeves

What is the meaning of the name Reeves ?

The baby name Reeves is a Male name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /riːvz/ (REEVZ).

Reeves is English in Origin.

Reeves is an English surname-turned-given name rooted in Middle English reve, from Old English ġerēfa, meaning “steward, bailiff, or local chief.” The -s ending functions as a patronymic or genitival marker (“son/descendant of the reeve” or “of the reeve’s household”). The office of reeve was central in the Anglo-Saxon and medieval manorial system and survives in compounds such as shire-reeve, the origin of “sheriff.” Meaning centers on authority, guardianship, and administration.

As a forename, Reeves appears sporadically in Britain and North America from the late 1800s, reflecting the surname-as-first-name trend, and sees occasional modern use, largely masculine but usable unisex. Variants and related spellings include Reeve, Reaves, and Rives; modern feminine Reeva is a stylistic offshoot. Diminutives are rare, though Reeve/Reev is used. The name has contemporary familiarity through the widespread surname in popular culture.