first name
RIVER
of 53,615 first names recorded in the 2020 Census
Of the 28,392 people named River, 76.1% reported their origin as White, 10.2% as Hispanic or Latino and 8% as two or more races. 66.7% are male. These count how people described themselves on the 2020 Census, not where the name comes from.
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River peaked in 2022, when 5,430 babies got the name.
At least 59,351 babies have been given the name since 1971. Years SSA withheld, because fewer than 5 were born, are skipped rather than drawn as zero. * 2025 is the newest year published and it undercounts: a card application is filed some time after a birth.
River by decade
Among all names given to American babies, its best decade was the 2020s, when it ranked #109. The largest share of babies named River, 81.1%, were born in 2013 or later.
Rank counts both sexes together, among every name SSA recorded that decade; the number under it is births. The 2020s run only to 2025. Generation years follow Pew Research Center, which has not named a generation after 2012.
Where River is most common
Compared with all babies born in each state since 1910, River has been most common in Alaska (2.8×), Idaho (2.5×), and Utah (2.5×), and least common in Rhode Island (0.17×).
57,011 births recorded by state, 1910–2025. 2× means twice as common as nationally. States with fewer than 30 such births are left blank, and SSA withholds any year with fewer than 5 in a state, so small states read low.
Either side of River
Spelled almost the same
One first name in the 2020 Census spelled within a letter or two of River, most common first.
Also a last name
As a last name, River ranks #23,332 of 156,621, with 1,124 people. See River as a last name
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🔎 RIVER 🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦⬜⬜⬜ 1 in 10,638 Americans Rarer than 73.5% of us Peaked in 2022 with 5,430 babies Beat that 👇 https://howrareismy.name/first/river/