Baby name meaning

River

Flowing body of water · English origin

Meaning & origin

River is a male name of English origin, meaning “Flowing body of water”.

How popular is River?

In England & Wales, River ranked #117 among boys' names in 2024, with 459 babies given the name — up from #572 in 2014. That is its best showing in the England & Wales series, which begins in 1996.

In the United States, River was the #129 boys' name in the 2020 data — its best showing in the US series, which samples one year per decade from 1880. It first charted in the US series in 1990.

River — popularity rank over timePopularity rank of the boys' name River over time, lower rank number = more popular. England and Wales annual rank 1996 to 2024. United States rank sampled one year per decade, 1990 to 2020.#1#10#100#1,000#10,0001990200020102024US 1990: #2,205US 2000: #612US 2010: #434US 2020: #129England & Wales 2024: #117United StatesEngland & Wales
River’s popularity rank over time — England & Wales annual rank (solid) and United States rank sampled once per decade (dashed), #1 at the top. Log scale: each gridline is 10× the rank above it.
River in England & Wales: rank and births in sampled years, plus its peak year. Source: ONS ‘Baby names in England and Wales’.
YearE&W rankBirths
1996#1,02614
2000#1,5269
2005#91325
2010#58159
2015#395108
2020#159334
2024#117459

Famous Rivers

Swipe & match on River in Settle