Riverton
A name suggesting a place near a river, perhaps a settlement or town.
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Riverton. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Riverton today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Riverton births was 2022 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Riverton. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Riverton. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
2022
5 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2023 SSA rank
#13,745
Tracked since 2022
Popularity
Riverton: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Riverton 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 Riverton during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Riverton
The given name Riverton has its origins in the English language, dating back to the 17th century. It is a locational name, derived from the combination of the words "river" and "town," referring to a settlement near a river. The earliest known records of this name can be traced back to the town of Riverton, located in Derbyshire, England.
During the medieval period, locational surnames and given names were commonly adopted by individuals who migrated from one place to another. The name Riverton likely originated as a way to identify people who hailed from the town of the same name. As time passed, the name gained popularity and spread beyond its initial geographic confines.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Riverton can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Riverton, Derbyshire, where a baptismal record from 1632 mentions a child named Riverton Smythe. This suggests that the name was in use as a given name in the early 17th century.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Riverton. One of the most prominent figures was Sir Riverton Hastings (1642-1701), an English politician and Member of Parliament who played a significant role in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Another notable Riverton was the American author and journalist Riverton Kelley (1854-1932), known for his contributions to the literary world and his advocacy for social reform.
In the realm of arts and culture, the name Riverton was associated with the English painter Riverton Constable (1776-1837), known for his landscape paintings that captured the beauty of the English countryside. Additionally, the Scottish playwright Riverton MacLean (1901-1976) left a lasting impact on the world of theater with his thought-provoking works that explored societal issues.
The name Riverton also found its way into the field of science and exploration. Riverton Shackleton (1872-1922) was a British Antarctic explorer who accompanied Sir Ernest Shackleton on the famous Nimrod Expedition of 1907-1909. His contributions to the exploration of the Antarctic region were significant and helped advance our understanding of this remote part of the world.
While the name Riverton may not be as common today as it once was, its historical significance and the stories of those who bore it continue to enrich our understanding of the past and the diverse tapestry of human existence.
People
Riverton + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Riverton 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
Riverton: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Riverton?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Riverton 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Riverton a common name?
We classify Riverton as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Riverton most popular?
The single biggest year for Riverton was 2022, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Riverton is about 4 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Riverton in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Riverton a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Riverton in the SSA data are male. 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.
Is Riverton still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Riverton in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Riverton can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Riverton as a first name?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Riverton at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.