2000
#4,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,001
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.97
Uncommon Last name
Rivero
A Spanish topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a river bank or shore.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,929 Americans carry the last name Rivero. That puts it at #3,113 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,511 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rivero 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
13K
1 in 26,511
Census rank
#3,113
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,275 bearers of the surname Rivero in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3113th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rivero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.7%. The next largest groups are White (8.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rivero
The surname Rivero is of Spanish origin and can be traced back to the medieval era in Spain. It is derived from the Spanish word "ribera," meaning "riverbank" or "shore," suggesting that the name may have originated from a place or region near a river.
One of the earliest known references to the name Rivero can be found in the 13th-century manuscript "Fuero de Soria," a legal code and charter granted to the town of Soria in the province of Castile. This document mentions several individuals with the surname Rivero, indicating that the name was already established in the region during that time.
The name Rivero has been associated with various place names throughout Spain, such as Ribero de Arriba and Ribero de Abajo in the province of Asturias, as well as Ribero del Fresno in the province of Zamora. These place names may have influenced the development of the surname or vice versa.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Rivero was Juan Rivero, a Spanish soldier who served in the army of King Ferdinand III of Castile during the Reconquista, the campaign to regain control of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors. Juan Rivero is believed to have lived in the 13th century and participated in the conquest of Seville in 1248.
In the 16th century, Francisco Rivero was a notable Spanish navigator and explorer who accompanied the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan on his historic voyage around the world from 1519 to 1522. Rivero played a crucial role in the expedition and is mentioned in various accounts of the journey.
Another notable figure with the surname Rivero was Andrés Rivero y Muñiz, a Spanish writer and politician who lived from 1753 to 1828. He served as a deputy in the Cortes of Cádiz, a Spanish governing body during the Peninsular War against Napoleon's forces, and was known for his literary works and political activism.
In the 19th century, Manuel Rivero Fernández was a prominent Spanish lawyer and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Spain for a brief period in 1864. He was born in 1823 in the province of Asturias and played a significant role in Spanish politics during the turbulent period of the 19th century.
Another notable figure with the surname Rivero was Nicolás Rivero y Muñiz, a Cuban journalist and writer who lived from 1845 to 1920. He founded and edited the influential newspaper "Diario de la Marina" in Havana, Cuba, and was known for his literary works and advocacy for Cuban independence from Spain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rivero
Among Census respondents with the surname Rivero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.7%. The next largest groups are White (8.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Rivero 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 Rivero surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino87.7% · 9,890
- White8.3% · 941
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.3% · 260
- Black or African American1.0% · 118
- Two or more races0.5% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rivero
Rivero 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
#3,254
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,096
+3,095 bearers (+38.7%)
Per 100,000 3.76
Rank movement Up 841 places
2020
#3,113
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,275
+179 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 3.77
Rank movement Up 141 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,095 | 8,001 | 2.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,254 | 11,096 | 3.76 | +3,095 bearers (+38.7%) | Up 841 places |
| 2020 | #3,113 | 11,275 | 3.77 | +179 bearers (+1.6%) | Up 141 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 Rivero 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 | #3,254 | #3,113 | 4.3% |
| Count | 11,096 | 11,275 | 1.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.76 | 3.77 | 0.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rivero bearers went from 11,096 to 11,275 (+1.6% change). The surname moved up 141 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,254 to #3,113.
FAQ
Rivero surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rivero?
Name Census estimates that about 12,929 living Americans carry the surname Rivero. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,511 residents.
How common is Rivero?
Rivero ranks #3,113 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.77 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,275 people with the surname Rivero. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,929), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.77 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Rivero.
Has Rivero become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rivero went from 11,096 recorded bearers to 11,275. That is an increase of 179 (+1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,254 to #3,113.
What does the Census say about the background of Rivero?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rivero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.7%. The next largest groups are White (8.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rivero in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (9,890 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rivero appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.7%), White (8.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%). 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 Rivero (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 Rivero mean?
A Spanish 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 Rivero (3.77 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 last name Rivero?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Rivero on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.