2010
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rivota
Occupational surname derived from Italian word "rivoltare" meaning to turn over or dig.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Rivota. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rivota 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Rivota in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rivota, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rivota
The surname RIVOTA has its origins in the Sicilian region of Italy, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Italian word "rivota," which means "a turn" or "a twist," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a winding road or river.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name RIVOTA can be found in a Sicilian census record from the year 1286, where a family with the surname is listed as residing in the town of Palermo. In the 14th century, the name appears in various legal documents and property records in the region of Trapani, indicating that the RIVOTA family had established roots in different parts of Sicily.
During the Renaissance period, a notable figure with the surname RIVOTA was Giovanni RIVOTA (1445-1521), a renowned artist and architect who was commissioned to design and construct several churches and palaces in Palermo and its surrounding areas. His most famous work is the Chiesa del Santissimo Salvatore, a stunning example of Sicilian Baroque architecture.
In the 17th century, a RIVOTA family settled in the town of Marsala, where they became successful merchants and landowners. One member of this family, Domenico RIVOTA (1628-1699), was a respected scholar and author who wrote several treatises on Sicilian history and culture.
Another significant figure with the RIVOTA surname was Maria RIVOTA (1789-1856), a celebrated opera singer who performed in some of the most prestigious theaters in Italy and across Europe. She was particularly renowned for her roles in the operas of Vincenzo Bellini and Gaetano Donizetti.
While the RIVOTA surname originated in Sicily, over the centuries, it has spread to other parts of Italy and even beyond the country's borders. Some variations in spelling, such as RIVOTTA and RIVOTI, have also emerged, but the core meaning and origin of the name remain rooted in the Sicilian heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rivota
Among Census respondents with the surname Rivota, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Rivota 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 Rivota surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.9% · 94
- White5.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rivota
Rivota 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
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-19 bearers (-16.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 14,865 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -19 bearers (-16.1%) | Down 14,865 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 Rivota 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 | #141,140 | #156,005 | -10.5% |
| Count | 118 | 99 | -16.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rivota bearers went from 118 to 99 (-16.1% change). The surname moved down 14,865 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #156,005.
FAQ
Rivota surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rivota?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Rivota. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Rivota?
Rivota ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 99 people with the surname Rivota. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Rivota.
Has Rivota become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rivota went from 118 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 19 (-16.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Rivota?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rivota, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%). 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 Rivota in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rivota appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.9%), White (5.1%). 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 Rivota (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 Rivota mean?
Occupational surname derived from Italian word "rivoltare" meaning to turn over or dig. 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 Rivota (0.03 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 Rivota?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Rivota, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.