Riva
A Hebrew feminine name meaning "brook" or "stream".
Name Census estimates that about 1,340 living Americans carry the first name Riva. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Riva today is around 32 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Riva births was 2023 (57 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Riva. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.3K
~ 1 in 255,787 Americans
Peak year
2023
57 babies that year
Average age
32
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,203
Tracked since 1910
Popularity
Riva: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Riva from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 273 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Riva remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Riva by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Riva during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rivas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. New York, California, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Riva, while Illinois, Florida, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 56 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Riva
The given name Riva originates from the Italian and Sanskrit languages. In Italian, it is derived from the word "riva," meaning "riverbank" or "shore." This connection to bodies of water suggests a natural and calming association with the name. In Sanskrit, the name Riva is related to the word "riv," which means "to flow" or "to move." This linguistic root links the name to concepts of movement, progress, and fluidity.
Historically, the name Riva has been recorded in various ancient texts and documents. One of the earliest known references can be found in the writings of the Roman poet Ovid, who lived from 43 BC to 17 AD. Ovid mentioned the name Riva in his famous work "Metamorphoses," where it was associated with a nymph or river goddess.
During the Middle Ages, the name Riva was occasionally used in various regions of Italy and the Mediterranean. Historical records from this period include a few notable individuals bearing this name. One such figure was Riva da Montefalco, an Italian noble and landowner who lived in the 13th century.
In the Renaissance period, the name gained popularity among certain artistic and literary circles. Riva Agostini, an Italian painter born in 1555, was renowned for her portraiture and religious works. Another notable figure was Riva Leuzzi, an Italian poet and writer who lived from 1625 to 1692, known for her contributions to the Baroque literary movement.
The name Riva also appeared in various cultural and religious contexts throughout history. In Hindu mythology, Riva was the name of a minor goddess associated with rivers and water bodies. Additionally, there are references to individuals named Riva in ancient Buddhist texts and scriptures from Southeast Asia.
Among the more contemporary historical figures bearing the name Riva was Riva Levertov, an American poet and writer of Russian-Jewish descent, who lived from 1923 to 1997. Her works explored themes of nature, spirituality, and social justice, and she received numerous literary awards and honors.
Another notable individual was Riva Yaron, an Israeli athlete born in 1946, who competed in swimming events at the 1964 and 1968 Olympic Games. She won a bronze medal in the 400-meter individual medley at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo.
Riva Robertson, an American actress born in 1929, had a successful career on stage, television, and in films throughout the mid-20th century. She was particularly known for her roles in Broadway productions and received a Tony Award nomination in 1964.
People
Riva + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Riva as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Riva: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Riva?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,340 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Riva going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 255,787 US residents.
Is Riva a common name?
We classify Riva as "Rare". It ranks above 91.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,577 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Riva most popular?
The single biggest year for Riva was 2023, when 57 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Riva is about 32 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Riva a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Riva in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.