Find out how popular the last name Rivet is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Rivet.

Rivet, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Rivet surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rivet in America

Rivet is the 15127th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rivet surname appeared 1,949 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Rivet.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rivet to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Rivet

The surname Rivet originated in France, and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "rivet," which means a metal pin or bolt used to hold pieces of metal together. This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname for a worker who made or used rivets.

The earliest recorded instances of the Rivet surname appear in records from the Normandy region of France in the late 12th century. For example, a man named Radulfus Rivet was mentioned in a charter from the city of Rouen in 1195. The name also appears in other medieval documents from the region, with variations in spelling such as Rivett, Ryvett, and Ryvet.

By the 13th century, the Rivet name had spread to other parts of France, including the regions of Burgundy and Champagne. In 1273, a man named Hugues Rivet was recorded as a resident of the village of Vignory in Champagne.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Rivet surname was Jean Rivet, a French theologian and scholar who lived from 1601 to 1677. He was a prominent figure in the Reformed Church of France and served as a professor of theology at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands.

Another notable individual with the Rivet surname was André Rivet, a French historian and linguist who lived from 1572 to 1651. He was an expert on the languages and cultures of the indigenous peoples of the Americas and wrote several works on the subject.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Rivet name also appeared in England, likely brought over by French Huguenot immigrants. One of the earliest recorded examples was John Rivet, who was born in England in 1571 and served as a member of parliament during the reign of King James I.

In the 18th century, a French military officer named Jean-François Rivet (1714-1793) gained prominence for his service in the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War. He was also involved in the construction of several fortifications in the French colonies of the Caribbean.

Another notable figure with the Rivet surname was Gustave Rivet (1858-1936), a French architect and archaeologist who was influential in the study and preservation of ancient Roman ruins in France and North Africa.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rivet

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Rivet.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Rivet was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Rivet has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Rivet was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Rivet, please contact us.

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