River Surname

111,146th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 4,180 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Marshall Islands

River Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'at the river,' from residence on its bank. I do not find River now existing as a surname. Probably it has taken an 's' to it, like Brooks, and is lost in Rivers, which see.

Richard de la River, Bedfordshire, Henry III-Edward I: Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp.

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River Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States1,3831:262,08224,727
Iran7341:104,60810,119
Egypt4881:188,39313,801
Israel1621:52,8256,901
Marshall Islands1121:46380
Mexico1071:1,160,05814,244
Zimbabwe1061:145,64418,674
Australia991:272,68424,601
Taiwan861:272,6132,261
South Africa711:763,06652,802
Hong Kong701:104,7931,905
Canada581:635,26952,014
Portugal571:182,7767,697
China491:27,904,5221,516
England481:1,160,79354,689
France391:1,703,147154,208
Brazil391:5,489,085137,424
United Arab Emirates391:234,93015,673
Philippines371:2,736,168135,784
Qatar311:76,0647,685
Nigeria311:5,714,283142,531
Dominican Republic311:336,54611,471
Chile291:607,46514,668
Spain211:2,226,28755,801
New Zealand161:283,02024,643
Argentina151:2,849,561122,961
Puerto Rico131:273,0882,549
Colombia131:3,674,92915,922
Indonesia131:10,173,015372,576
Afghanistan111:2,923,01717,932
Japan111:11,622,20845,659
Italy111:5,559,699110,230
Peru101:3,178,41230,046
Vietnam91:10,294,0062,767
India81:95,883,173728,828
Venezuela81:3,775,51036,567
Switzerland81:1,026,61463,315
Jordan71:1,263,20516,935
El Salvador71:906,2703,798
Malaysia61:4,915,704170,578
Honduras51:1,763,2885,823
Denmark51:1,128,94352,970
Ecuador51:3,181,16927,617
Netherlands51:3,377,435111,911
Guatemala41:4,020,6677,726
Malawi41:4,279,77724,060
Bolivia41:2,654,1087,945
Russia31:48,041,019639,186
Costa Rica31:1,593,3568,177
Thailand31:23,546,115908,588
Pakistan31:59,547,962132,569
Papua New Guinea21:4,076,858165,791
South Korea21:25,620,1284,175
Finland21:2,748,35172,663
Croatia21:2,114,30285,143
Panama21:1,956,12915,285
Belgium21:5,748,322130,559
Nicaragua21:3,010,5457,383
Nepal21:14,240,47817,812
Ireland11:4,708,93929,543
Ukraine11:45,522,696503,646
Greece11:11,079,790145,225
Turkey11:77,821,422191,047
Barbados11:287,4482,772
Bulgaria11:6,978,90586,260
Bahrain11:1,348,60810,432
Algeria11:38,631,551130,422
Sweden11:9,846,757347,448
Burundi11:9,804,8522,349
Moldova11:3,561,36878,271
Cameroon11:20,769,068227,406
Solomon Islands11:580,02922,243
Slovakia11:5,336,450140,422
Singapore11:5,507,70347,049
Romania11:20,077,87089,414
Cyprus11:884,87613,055
Kenya11:46,179,900103,372
Paraguay11:7,236,74616,511
Oman11:3,687,97114,390
Norway11:5,142,286129,201
Malta11:430,2723,380
Fiji11:894,3914,568
Estonia11:1,321,80440,178
Namibia11:2,409,40119,676
Mozambique11:27,261,5697,432
Morocco11:34,476,099111,471
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England591:413,14224,536
Scotland131:287,9409,345
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States3741:134,27512,787

The alternate forms: Rivér (1) are calculated separately.

River (12,918) may also be a first name.

River Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'at the river,' from residence on its bank. I do not find River now existing as a surname. Probably it has taken an 's' to it, like Brooks, and is lost in Rivers, which see.

Richard de la River, Bedfordshire, Henry III-Edward I: Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I.

Andreas de la River, Nottinghamshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Richard de la Rivere, Wiltshire, ibid.

1709. Baptised — George River, foundling, by the New River: St. James, Clerkenwell.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

(English) One who came from River (river), in Kent, or from River (brow of a hill), in Sussex; dweller by the river; one who came from Rivieres (shore), in France.

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

Prom residence near one. Old English, Atte River; French De la Riviere.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

River Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name River Come From? nationality or country of origin

The last name River (Arabic: ريفار) has its highest incidence in The United States. It may be rendered as: Rivér. For other potential spellings of this last name click here.

How Common Is The Last Name River? popularity and diffusion

River is the 111,146th most frequently used family name worldwide, borne by approximately 1 in 1,743,432 people. The last name River occurs mostly in The Americas, where 41 percent of River are found; 37 percent are found in North America and 34 percent are found in Anglo-North America. It is also the 51,525th most prevalent first name on earth. It is borne by 12,918 people.

The surname is most frequently occurring in The United States, where it is held by 1,383 people, or 1 in 262,082. In The United States River is mostly found in: California, where 14 percent reside, New York, where 9 percent reside and Texas, where 9 percent reside. Not including The United States this last name is found in 85 countries. It is also found in Iran, where 18 percent reside and Egypt, where 12 percent reside.

River Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The prevalency of River has changed over time. In The United States the share of the population with the last name expanded 370 percent between 1880 and 2014 and in England it declined 19 percent between 1881 and 2014.

River Last Name Statistics demography

The religious adherence of those bearing the River last name is principally Orthodox (92%) in Russia and Orthodox (75%) in Ukraine.

In The United States those bearing the River surname are 5.63% more likely to be registered Republicans than The US average, with 52.4% registered to vote for the party.

The amount River earn in different countries varies greatly. In South Africa they earn 37.16% less than the national average, earning R 149,340 per year; in Colombia they earn 31.81% more than the national average, earning $29,923,800 COP per year; in United States they earn 21.27% less than the national average, earning $33,972 USD per year and in Canada they earn 20.54% less than the national average, earning $39,478 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Rivér931/
Rivier913,637/
Rivere91978/
Rivert91213/
Reiver91207/
Riever9156/
Rhiver9141/
Riverd918/
Riover918/
Rivear917/
Raiver916/
Riveer915/
Rijver913/
Riverp913/
Riverh911/
Ruiver911/
Rivher911/
Riveir911/
Roiver910/
Rive892,082/
Riveire8343/
Reivert839/
Rivertt832/
Hraiver832/
Reivere831/
Raiveir831/
Riveere831/
Riveird831/
Richver830/
Roivert830/
Rivet8012,687/
Rives8011,517/
Riber801,930/
Rever80788/
Rieve80500/
Rived80370/
Reive80337/
Ruver80271/
Rivez80202/
Ryver80102/
Rivir8087/
Rivey8077/
Rivie8067/
Rivea8061/
Riwer8024/
Risve8022/
Roive8017/
Rijve8012/
Räver807/
Ritve807/
Rivei806/
Ruive805/
Raive803/
Riove801/
Rivee801/
Rhive800/
Riverová774/
Riverova772/
Rivest736,266/
Rivett735,504/
Reiber735,330/
Revert734,816/
Rieber732,852/
Revere731,855/
Reaver73986/
Ribert73920/
Revier73915/
Ribier73844/
Rivoir73779/
Raiber73708/
Reever73703/
Rivire73597/
Reuver73514/
Rimper73455/
Reives73360/
Riewer73360/
Ribere73306/
Reiwer73281/
Rebier73160/
Raivet7349/
Ribeir7342/
Rybier7337/
Rhives7333/
Rijvee7332/
Rivets7329/
Raives7328/
Revear7327/
Rivetz7323/
Ruivet7323/
Rayver7320/
Hruver7319/
Reveur7317/
Reverd7315/
Rajver7314/
Ruives7313/
Rivior7312/
Hriber7311/
Ruyver736/
Rivair736/
Riveas735/
Riober735/
Riviea734/
Rivhed734/
Ruwier734/
Rievie734/
Rijvir733/
Ruiber733/
Rivère733/
Ruvier733/
Ryover732/
Reiuer732/
Roiber732/
Risvet732/
Reveer732/
Rivåge732/
Rissve732/
Rêveur732/
Risber732/
Ruiwer731/
Rehver731/
Rievea731/
Reverr731/
Riveet731/
Riveis731/
Riveiz731/
Riwere731/
Reverp731/
Raivee731/
Reivie731/
Risuer731/
Risvey731/
Rhiwer731/
Roiwer731/
Rébier731/
Reveir730/
Rhiber730/
Rivess730/
Ribger730/
Riva6774,285/
Rivoire674,835/
Rivi672,792/
Ribe672,481/
Reve671,991/
Ribeyre671,317/
Reibert67535/
Raivire67358/
Rajveer67203/
Riwe67150/
Reybier6774/
Rivetts6759/
Richber6759/
Reverre6753/
Raibert6750/
Roybier6733/
Rivé6723/
Reveire6721/
Ribertt6715/
Reiveis6715/
Raivetz6713/
Ryve6713/
Ribeire6712/
Reiberh6712/
Roibier6711/
Rêve6710/
Ribeirp679/
Risbert678/
Riewier678/
Rivoyre675/
Rivy675/
Ribeird674/
Reiwert672/
Rivahyr672/
Roitber672/
Hriouer672/
Reavere671/
Reevert671/
Revertt671/
Raybier671/
Rajvear671/
Rajvher671/
Reibere671/
Reeveer671/
Reveyre671/
Rimpfer671/
Riviëre671/
Roibert671/
Roiberh671/
Reverth671/
Ribeard670/
Reveare670/
Reevere670/
Reveere670/
Reivoir670/
Reveard670/
Rivaire670/
Rishber670/
Rivehts670/
Reimper670/
Ruibier670/

River Name Transliterations

TransliterationICU LatinPercentage of Incidence
River in the Arabic language
ريفارryfar-
ريفرryfr-
نهراnhra-
نهرnhr-

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River Reference & Research

Rivers DNA Website - A web page dedicated to the genetic research of those who bear the surname and its variants.

Rivers FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to River
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis