Riviera
A feminine name derived from the French term for coastline or shoreline.
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the first name Riviera. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Riviera today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Riviera births was 2024 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Riviera. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Riviera with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
114
~ 1 in 3,006,617 Americans
Peak year
2024
16 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,163
Tracked since 1994
Popularity
Riviera: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Riviera from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 58 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Riviera 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 Riviera during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rivieras live
Origin
Meaning and history of Riviera
The name Riviera originated from the French language and refers to the coastal region along the Mediterranean Sea in southeastern France. The term "Riviera" is derived from the Italian word "riviera," which means "coastline" or "shore."
In the late 18th century, the French Riviera, stretching from Toulon to the Italian border, became a popular destination for affluent travelers and aristocrats seeking a mild climate and picturesque scenery. The name Riviera gained popularity as a given name during this time, reflecting the region's reputation as a luxurious and desirable location.
The earliest recorded use of Riviera as a given name dates back to the late 19th century. One of the earliest notable individuals with this name was Riviera Lebrun (1860-1922), a French actress and singer who performed in various theaters in Paris during the Belle Époque era.
Another notable bearer of the name was Riviera Revaux (1888-1962), a French fashion designer who established her atelier in Paris in the 1920s. Her designs were favored by the social elite and influential figures of the time.
In the realm of literature, Riviera Hayworth (1905-1983) was an American novelist and poet whose works often explored themes of love, loss, and the human condition. Her novel "The Riviera Affair" was a best-seller in the 1940s.
Moving to the world of music, Riviera Montague (1920-1998) was a renowned jazz singer and pianist from New Orleans. She performed with various swing and big band orchestras during the 1940s and 1950s, and her renditions of classic jazz standards were widely acclaimed.
Lastly, Riviera Delacroix (1935-2010) was a French artist and sculptor known for her abstract and minimalist works. Her sculptures adorned public spaces and galleries across Europe, and she was celebrated for her innovative use of materials and exploration of negative space.
These individuals, spanning different eras and fields, exemplify the diverse ways in which the name Riviera has been embraced, reflecting the allure and sophistication associated with the renowned coastal region that inspired its naming.
People
Riviera + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Riviera 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
Riviera: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Riviera?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 114 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Riviera 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 3,006,617 US residents.
Is Riviera a common name?
We classify Riviera as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 115 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Riviera most popular?
The single biggest year for Riviera was 2024, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Riviera is about 9 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 Riviera in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Riviera a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Riviera 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.
Is Riviera still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Riviera 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 Riviera 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 common is the name Riviera?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.