Primarily a boy's name · Unisex — 33% girls / 67% boys
Origin: EnglishRiver is a given name of English origin taken from river, the English word for a naturally flowing watercourse. It is in common use in English-speaking countries such as the United States for both males and females.
From Wikipedia
In Pythagorean numerology, every letter has a value from 1 to 9. Adding the letters of River yields these three numbers — a playful read on the name's character.
River sits well below most of its neighbors in this batch: #112 nationally in 2024, the lowest rank of any name here, with 3,138 births — down from a peak of 3,503 in 2021, when its rank also hit its own best, #105, the following year.
Despite that modest current standing, the ten-year growth rate, 152%, is substantial, and this name's records begin in 1971, more recent than most but earlier than Lainey's or Madison's late arrivals.
Actor River Phoenix, who died in 1993, is the only bearer in the enrichment data — a specific, well-known namesake for a name that remains this batch's smallest by current rank despite genuine recent growth.
Why did you choose this name — or what does it mean to you? Approved stories appear on this page.
→ See names similar to River · Compare River with another name → · Popular names of the 2020s · Boys names starting with R
Rank is among all boys' names registered that year.
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 6 | #4,806 |
| 1972 | 8 | #3,892 |
| 1974 | 5 | #5,836 |
| 1975 | 7 | #4,681 |
| 1981 | 6 | #6,091 |
| 1982 | 6 | #6,237 |
| 1986 | 5 | #7,589 |
| 1987 | 13 | #3,685 |
| 1988 | 13 | #3,863 |
| 1989 | 40 | #1,887 |
| 1990 | 33 | #2,205 |
| 1991 | 28 | #2,529 |
| 1992 | 37 | #2,121 |
| 1993 | 54 | #1,658 |
| 1994 | 141 | #927 |
| 1995 | 278 | #619 |
| 1996 | 269 | #632 |
| 1997 | 389 | #519 |
| 1998 | 435 | #496 |
| 1999 | 359 | #559 |
| 2000 | 314 | #612 |
| 2001 | 323 | #608 |
| 2002 | 329 | #611 |
| 2003 | 388 | #571 |
| 2004 | 420 | #549 |
| 2005 | 476 | #517 |
| 2006 | 505 | #514 |
| 2007 | 464 | #554 |
| 2008 | 611 | #454 |
| 2009 | 619 | #449 |
| 2010 | 634 | #434 |
| 2011 | 645 | #424 |
| 2012 | 722 | #405 |
| 2013 | 830 | #371 |
| 2014 | 1,243 | #287 |
| 2015 | 1,516 | #244 |
| 2016 | 1,852 | #212 |
| 2017 | 1,969 | #200 |
| 2018 | 2,075 | #197 |
| 2019 | 2,371 | #168 |
| 2020 | 2,814 | #129 |
| 2021 | 3,503 | #110 |
| 2022 | 3,494 | #105 |
| 2023 | 3,111 | #116 |
| 2024 | 3,138 | #112 |
