2000
#9,209
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,258
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.21
Rare Last name
Rives
Derived from a French topographic name indicating someone who lived near a riverbank or shore.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,751 Americans carry the last name Rives. That puts it at #9,508 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,377 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rives 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
3.8K
1 in 91,377
Census rank
#9,508
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,271 bearers of the surname Rives in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9508th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rives, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.1%) and Black (10.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rives
The surname Rives is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "rive" meaning "bank" or "shore". It is believed to have originated in the northern regions of France, particularly in Normandy, during the Middle Ages.
This surname was likely given to individuals who lived near a river or a coastal area, indicating their proximity to water bodies. It may have also been used as a descriptive name for those who worked near rivers or on the banks, such as fishermen or ferrymen.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rives can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "de Rives" in this important historical document.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named William de Rives was recorded as a witness to a charter granted by King Henry III of England in 1236. This suggests that the Rives family had established themselves in England during the Norman conquest.
During the 14th century, the name Rives appeared in various records and documents across France and England. One example is Jean de Rives, a French nobleman who served as a courtier to King Charles V of France in the late 1300s.
In the 16th century, the surname Rives gained prominence with the birth of Gérard de Rives (1497-1562), a French churchman and diplomat who served as the Bishop of Lavaur and played a significant role in the Council of Trent.
Another notable figure bearing the Rives surname was William Cabell Rives (1793-1868), an American lawyer, politician, and diplomat from Virginia. He served as a U.S. Senator and served as the U.S. Minister to France during the presidency of John Tyler.
In the 19th century, Amelia Rives (1863-1945), an American novelist and playwright, gained fame for her controversial works that challenged societal norms. Her novels, such as "The Quick or the Dead?" and "According to St. John," received both praise and criticism for their daring themes.
One of the most prominent individuals with the Rives surname in recent history was Fanny Rives (1901-1986), an American socialite and fashion icon. She was known for her glamorous lifestyle and her influential role in shaping fashion trends during the 1920s and 1930s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rives
Among Census respondents with the surname Rives, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.1%) and Black (10.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rives 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 Rives surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.7% · 2,344
- Hispanic or Latino14.1% · 462
- Black or African American10.9% · 358
- Two or more races2.6% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rives
Rives 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
#9,203
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,544
+286 bearers (+8.8%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Up 6 places
2020
#9,508
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,271
-273 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 305 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,209 | 3,258 | 1.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,203 | 3,544 | 1.20 | +286 bearers (+8.8%) | Up 6 places |
| 2020 | #9,508 | 3,271 | 1.09 | -273 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 305 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 Rives 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 | #9,203 | #9,508 | -3.3% |
| Count | 3,544 | 3,271 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.20 | 1.09 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rives bearers went from 3,544 to 3,271 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 305 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,203 to #9,508.
FAQ
Rives surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rives?
Name Census estimates that about 3,751 living Americans carry the surname Rives. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,377 residents.
How common is Rives?
Rives ranks #9,508 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 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 3,271 people with the surname Rives. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,751), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 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 Rives.
Has Rives become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rives went from 3,544 recorded bearers to 3,271. That is a decrease of 273 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,203 to #9,508.
What does the Census say about the background of Rives?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rives, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.1%) and Black (10.9%). 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 Rives in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.7% (2,344 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rives appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.7%), Hispanic (14.1%), Black (10.9%). 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 Rives (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 Rives mean?
Derived from a French topographic name indicating someone who lived near a riverbank 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 Rives (1.09 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 Rives?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Rives on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.