2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Rivier
A French surname potentially derived from the word "rivière" meaning river.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Rivier. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rivier 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Rivier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rivier, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 49.5%. The next largest groups are White (40.4%) and Two or More Races (6.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rivier
The surname RIVIER originated in France during the late medieval period, deriving from the Old French word "riviere" meaning "river" or "stream." It was likely an occupational name initially given to someone who lived near a river or worked in a trade related to rivers, such as a fisherman or boatman.
The earliest recorded instances of the RIVIER name can be traced back to the 13th century in regions along the Loire River in central France. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Jean Rivier, a fisherman born circa 1275 in the village of Beaugency along the Loire.
As the RIVIER name spread throughout France, variations in spelling emerged, including Riviere, Riviere, and Riviere. These variations often reflected regional dialects and local place names derived from rivers, such as Riviere-du-Loup (Wolf River) in Quebec, Canada.
One notable historical figure with the RIVIER surname was Pierre Rivier (1608-1680), a French Catholic priest and theologian who served as a professor at the Sorbonne in Paris. His writings on moral theology and casuistry were influential in his time.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Claude François Dorothée de Rivier (1756-1828), a French military officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later served as a general under Napoleon Bonaparte.
In the 19th century, Marie Rivier (1768-1838) was a French nun and founder of the religious congregation known as the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary. She is recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church.
Among other notable individuals with the RIVIER surname was Gustave Rivier (1822-1904), a Swiss jurist and legal scholar who made significant contributions to the field of international law.
While the RIVIER name has its origins in France, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through French emigration and colonization efforts. However, the earliest and most historically significant bearers of the name can be traced back to the riverlands of central France during the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rivier
Among Census respondents with the surname Rivier, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 49.5%. The next largest groups are White (40.4%) and Two or More Races (6.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Rivier 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 Rivier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino49.5% · 54
- White40.4% · 44
- Two or more races6.4% · 7
- Black or African American3.7% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rivier
Rivier 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
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+8 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,507 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.9%) | Up 9,507 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 Rivier 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 | #159,712 | #150,205 | 6.0% |
| Count | 101 | 109 | 7.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 21.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rivier bearers went from 101 to 109 (+7.9% change). The surname moved up 9,507 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #150,205.
FAQ
Rivier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rivier?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Rivier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Rivier?
Rivier ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 109 people with the surname Rivier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Rivier.
Has Rivier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rivier went from 101 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 8 (+7.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Rivier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rivier, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 49.5%. The next largest groups are White (40.4%) and Two or More Races (6.4%). 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 Rivier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.5% (54 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rivier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (49.5%), White (40.4%), Two or More Races (6.4%). 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 Rivier (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 Rivier mean?
A French surname potentially derived from the word "rivière" meaning river. 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 Rivier (0.04 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 Rivier?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Rivier on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.