Meanings
plural Scrivens
- countableuncountableA village and civil parish in Harrogate district, North Yorkshire, England (OS grid ref SE3458).
- countableuncountableA surname.
Origin
- Old Englishscræfen“hollow place with caves or pits”
- Old Frenchescrivain
- Middle Englishscrivein“scribe”
- EnglishScriven
Two possible origins for the surname: * English occupational surname for a scribe copyist or clerk, from Middle English scrivein (“scribe”), itself from Old French escrivain. * English habitational surname from the village in North Yorkshire, which is named with Old English scræfen (“hollow place with caves or pits”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Scriven. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Scriven
“Scriven.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Scriven. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Scriven,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Scriven.
Source: Scriven on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.