2000
#879
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,980
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.34
Uncommon Last name
Rivers
An English topographic surname for someone who lived near a river or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 43,269 Americans carry the last name Rivers. That puts it at #912 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rivers 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Rivers with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
43K
1 in 7,921
Census rank
#912
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
38K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 37,733 bearers of the surname Rivers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 912th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rivers, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.1%. The next largest groups are White (38.7%) and Hispanic (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rivers
The surname Rivers is an English locational name derived from the Old English word "rifere," meaning a stream or river. It likely originated as a topographical name given to someone who lived near a river or stream. The name is first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "de Riveries" in Lincolnshire.
The earliest known bearer of the surname was William de Riveres, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1195. Another early record is that of Robert de la Rivere, mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Hertfordshire in 1221.
In the 13th century, the name was also found in Scotland, where it was sometimes spelled "Riveir" or "Ryver." One notable Scottish bearer was Sir Alan de Ryver, who was granted lands in Berwickshire in 1268.
During the Middle Ages, the Rivers family held lands in various parts of England, including Northamptonshire, Berkshire, and Devon. One prominent member was Sir Richard Rivers (c. 1390-1469), who served as the Governor of the Isle of Wight and was appointed Lord Scales by King Henry VI.
Another famous bearer of the name was Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers (c. 1442-1483), who was an English nobleman and supporter of the House of Lancaster during the Wars of the Roses. He was executed by Richard III after the Battle of Bosworth Field.
In the late 16th century, the Rivers surname was also found in Ireland, where it was sometimes anglicized from the Irish Gaelic name "O'Rabhartaigh" or "O'Raghartaigh." One notable Irish bearer was Thomas Rivers (c. 1560-1637), who served as the Lord Mayor of Dublin in 1629.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name continued to be prominent in England, with bearers such as Sir John Rivers (1666-1712), a Member of Parliament for Hertfordshire, and Sir Peter Rivers (1718-1788), a British naval officer who served in the Seven Years' War.
Throughout history, the Rivers surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Rivers Farm in Hertfordshire, Rivers Plantation in South Carolina, and the town of Riversville in West Virginia, which was named after the Rivers family who settled there in the early 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rivers
Among Census respondents with the surname Rivers, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.1%. The next largest groups are White (38.7%) and Hispanic (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Rivers 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 Rivers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American48.1% · 18,163
- White38.7% · 14,605
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 2,011
- Two or more races5.2% · 1,972
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 703
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 279
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rivers
Rivers 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
#897
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,662
+2,682 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 13.11
Rank movement Down 18 places
2020
#912
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,733
-929 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 12.62
Rank movement Down 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #879 | 35,980 | 13.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #897 | 38,662 | 13.11 | +2,682 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 18 places |
| 2020 | #912 | 37,733 | 12.62 | -929 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 15 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 Rivers 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 | #897 | #912 | -1.7% |
| Count | 38,662 | 37,733 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 13.11 | 12.62 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rivers bearers went from 38,662 to 37,733 (-2.4% change). The surname moved down 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #897 to #912.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Rivers
FAQ
Rivers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rivers?
Name Census estimates that about 43,269 living Americans carry the surname Rivers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,921 residents.
How common is Rivers?
Rivers ranks #912 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 37,733 people with the surname Rivers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (43,269), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Rivers.
Has Rivers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rivers went from 38,662 recorded bearers to 37,733. That is a decrease of 929 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #897 to #912.
What does the Census say about the background of Rivers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rivers, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.1%. The next largest groups are White (38.7%) and Hispanic (5.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rivers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.1% (18,163 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rivers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (48.1%), White (38.7%), Hispanic (5.3%). 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 Rivers (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 Rivers mean?
An English topographic surname for someone who lived near 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 Rivers (12.62 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 common is the surname Rivers?
Want to know how common the surname Rivers is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.