2000
#11,523
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,504
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.93
Rare Last name
Lariviere
A French topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a river bank or shore.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,773 Americans carry the last name Lariviere. That puts it at #12,289 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 123,604 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lariviere surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 123,604
Census rank
#12,289
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,418 bearers of the surname Lariviere in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12289th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lariviere, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lariviere
The surname LARIVIERE originated in France during the late Middle Ages. It is derived from the French words "la rivière" which translate to "the river". This indicates that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a river or stream.
The earliest recorded examples of the LARIVIERE surname date back to the 13th century in regions of northern France such as Normandy and Brittany. Some variations in spelling included Lariviere, La Riviere, and Delariviere. The name was also found in old parish records and tax rolls from this time period.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in the records of the Hundred Years' War between England and France. A notable figure was Jean LARIVIERE, a soldier born around 1325 who fought alongside Joan of Arc in the Siege of Orléans in 1429.
During the Renaissance, the LARIVIERE name spread to other parts of France. One prominent individual was Pierre LARIVIERE (1530-1616), a French philosopher and theologian who taught at the University of Paris.
As the French colonial empire expanded in the 17th and 18th centuries, the LARIVIERE surname was carried to new settlements in the Americas and the Caribbean. Jacques LARIVIERE (1665-1745) was an early settler in Quebec, Canada, arriving from Normandy in 1685.
Other notable people with this surname include Antoine LARIVIERE (1798-1872), a French architect who designed several buildings in Paris, and Marie LARIVIERE (1845-1923), a French writer and feminist activist.
The LARIVIERE name can also be found in some place names, such as the village of La Rivière in the Normandy region of France. This further reinforces the connection between the surname and its geographic origins near rivers or streams.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lariviere
Among Census respondents with the surname Lariviere, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Lariviere bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Lariviere surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 2,200
- Two or more races3.6% · 88
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 83
- Black or African American1.0% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lariviere
Lariviere appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#12,089
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,578
+74 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 566 places
2020
#12,289
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,418
-160 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 200 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,523 | 2,504 | 0.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,089 | 2,578 | 0.87 | +74 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 566 places |
| 2020 | #12,289 | 2,418 | 0.81 | -160 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 200 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Lariviere surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,089 | #12,289 | -1.7% |
| Count | 2,578 | 2,418 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.81 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lariviere bearers went from 2,578 to 2,418 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 200 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,089 to #12,289.
FAQ
Lariviere surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lariviere?
Name Census estimates that about 2,773 living Americans carry the surname Lariviere. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 123,604 residents.
How common is Lariviere?
Lariviere ranks #12,289 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,418 people with the surname Lariviere. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,773), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Lariviere.
Has Lariviere become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lariviere went from 2,578 recorded bearers to 2,418. That is a decrease of 160 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,089 to #12,289.
What does the Census say about the background of Lariviere?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lariviere, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lariviere in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (2,200 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lariviere appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Lariviere (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Lariviere mean?
A French topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a river bank or shore. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Lariviere (0.81 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Lariviere?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Lariviere is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.