2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rivenes
A surname indicating a person living along a river or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Rivenes. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rivenes 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Rivenes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rivenes, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Black (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rivenes
The surname Rivenes is believed to have originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "rivene," which means "riverbank" or "shore." The name likely referred to people who lived near a river or stream.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rivenes can be found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres, a 12th-century collection of charters and documents from the Abbey of Saint-Père in Chartres, France. In this document, a person named Robertus de Rivenes is mentioned in connection with a land transaction.
During the 13th century, the name Rivenes appeared in various records and manuscripts across northern France, particularly in the regions of Normandy and Picardy. It is possible that the name was initially associated with specific places or villages named after rivers or streams.
One notable individual bearing the surname Rivenes was Jean de Rivenes, a French nobleman who lived in the 14th century. He was a knight and a member of the court of King Charles V of France. Records from the time mention his participation in military campaigns and his role in the royal administration.
In the 15th century, the name Rivenes was also found in parts of what is now Belgium. A merchant named Guilleaume Rivenes, born around 1420 in Bruges, was involved in the thriving textile trade of the region.
Another individual of note was Pierre Rivenes, a French scholar and theologian who lived in the 16th century. He was born in Rouen in 1510 and studied at the University of Paris, where he later became a professor of philosophy and theology.
In the 17th century, the name Rivenes appeared in various records across France, including in the regions of Normandy, Picardy, and Île-de-France. One noteworthy figure was Jacques Rivenes, a French painter who was active in Paris during the latter part of the century.
Over time, the surname Rivenes underwent various spelling variations, such as Rivennes, Rivènes, and Rivènes, reflecting regional differences in pronunciation and record-keeping practices.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rivenes
Among Census respondents with the surname Rivenes, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Black (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rivenes 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 Rivenes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 5
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rivenes
Rivenes appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-1 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 1,317 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -1 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 1,317 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 Rivenes 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 | #154,907 | #153,590 | 0.9% |
| Count | 105 | 104 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rivenes bearers went from 105 to 104 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 1,317 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #153,590.
FAQ
Rivenes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rivenes?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Rivenes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Rivenes?
Rivenes ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 104 people with the surname Rivenes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Rivenes.
Has Rivenes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rivenes went from 105 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 1 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Rivenes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rivenes, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Black (1.9%). 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 Rivenes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rivenes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Hispanic (4.8%), Black (1.9%). 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 Rivenes (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 Rivenes mean?
A surname indicating a person living along a river or stream. 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 Rivenes (0.03 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 have the surname Rivenes?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.