River: name meaning, origin & popularity
- Meaning
- “river”
- Origin
- English
- Say it
- RIV-er · 2 syllables
- Used for
- Both (33% girls, 67% boys since 1880)
Modern English word name taken directly from the natural feature. It is used for all genders.
How popular is River?
Babies named River in 20244,572
2024 rank#112 boys
Peak year2022
Total US babies since 188054,754
River is rising: use over the last five years is 4.3× what it was a decade earlier.
Names like River
Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.
River questions
What does the name River mean?
River means "river". It comes from English. Modern English word name taken directly from the natural feature. It is used for all genders.
Is River a boy or girl name?
River is used for both: about 33% of US babies named River since 1880 were girls.
How popular is River?
4,572 US babies were named River in 2024. Its peak year was 2022.
How do you pronounce River?
River is usually pronounced RIV-er.
Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.