The hamlet that arose here from the end of the 19th century was originally known as Appelscha Derde Wijk, which means ‘third district near the village of Appelscha’. In 1939, the municipality launched a competition to come up with a better name. In this wooded landscape there was once a lake known as Ravensmeer, which means ‘raven’s lake’. Ravenswoud means ‘raven’s wood’, so the name refers to both the lake and the woods in the surrounding area. The hamlet was eventually granted village status in 1952.
In 2007, this historic peat cutting area was declared a protected townscape.
Ravenswoud is not as elongated as villages such as Appelscha. This is because the peat cutters settled on the banks of both the central and transverse canals dug to transport the peat.
