Explore the Family Name Riviere

The meaning of Riviere

French (Rivière): topographic name for someone who lived by the bank of a river or shore of a lake, from Old French riviere ‘river, shore’ (originally meaning ‘riverbank’, from Latin riparia); or a habitational name from any of various places called (La) Rivière, for example in Indre-et-Loire and Pas-de-Calais. Compare Lariviere 1 and 2. History: Joseph Rivière from Bordeaux in Gironde, France, married Félicité Audet in Carleton, QC, in 1795. Some characteristic forenames: French Pierre, Camille, Firmin, Hermite, Lucien, Monique, Stephane.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Riviere in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Riviere has increased from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Riviere was ranked 25,374th in popularity and rose to a rank of 22,618 in 2010, reflecting a change of 10.86%. Concurrently, the count of individuals with the Riviere surname also grew from 916 to 1,135 during the same period, marking an increase of 23.91%. The proportion of persons with this surname per 100,000 people also saw a rise from 0.34 to 0.38, an upward shift of 11.76%.

20002010Change
Rank#25,374#22,61810.86%
Count9161,13523.91%
Proportion per 100k0.340.3811.76%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Riviere

Regarding ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals changes between 2000 and 2010. While the percentages of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native remained at zero, there were shifts in other categories. Individuals identifying as two or more races decreased from 2.40% to 1.94%, a fall of 19.17%. Those identifying as White also experienced a reduction from 74.34% to 65.64%, a decrease of 11.70%. On the other hand, those identifying as Hispanic saw an increase from 6.22% to 7.93%, a rise of 27.49%. Most notably, individuals identifying as Black saw a significant increase from 16.27% to 23.35%, an impressive growth of 43.52%.

20002010Change
White74.34%65.64%-11.7%
Black16.27%23.35%43.52%
Hispanic6.22%7.93%27.49%
Two or More Races2.4%1.94%-19.17%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%