Meaning & Origin
A surname originating as an occupation for a bailiff.
Reeve is a boy's and girl's baby name of Old English origin, from the Anglo-Saxon gerefa meaning 'steward' or 'overseer of an estate' — a medieval official who managed the affairs of a manor on behalf of a lord.
Reeve has the crisp, one-syllable authority of great surname names like Reid, Brooks, and Pierce. Actor Keanu Reeves and Christopher Reeve gave the form different cultural touchstones, but Reeve as a first name stands firmly on its own — strong, simple, and quietly distinguished.