River Phoenix
There are approximately 1 people named River Phoenix living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 342,754,338 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name River with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Phoenix. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and ancestry information.
Expected bearers
1
1 in 342,754,338
Named River
54K
Alive today
Named Phoenix
3.9K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 54K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Unisex
Peak year: 2022
Average age: 9
Estimated bearers: 3.9K
Rarity: Rare
Census rank: #9,745
Per 100K: 1.13
Top ancestry: White (53.0%)
First name trend
River: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name River. The peak year was 2022 with 5,421 births. The average person named River today is 9 years old.
Babies born per year
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Phoenix surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Phoenix, from the 2010 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 53.0%.
- White53.0%
- Black or African American36.0%
- Two or more races4.1%
- Hispanic or Latino3.0%
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.9%
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9%
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name River has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0158% of the US population, based on 54,312 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
The surname Phoenix appears at a rate of 1.13 per 100,000 residents in the 2010 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0011%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 1 people with the full name River Phoenix. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people with the surname Phoenix
FAQ
River Phoenix: questions and answers
How many people are named River Phoenix?
We estimate approximately 1 people in the United States share the full name River Phoenix. That works out to about 1 in 342,754,338 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0158%) with the surname frequency (1.13 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name River Phoenix?
We classify River Phoenix as "Very Rare". About 1 in 342,754,338 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is River a male or female name?
River is predominantly unisex. Out of 54,754 total SSA registrations, 66.7% were male and 33.3% were female. See the full River profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2010 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.