Given name & surname · also Hebrew
Riva
“shore”
Riva is used as a given name and a surname. Riva is connected with Rebecca.
Meaning & origin
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Hebrew and French naming traditions.
How it developed
Riva is used as a form of Rebecca.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1910. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Riva is a form of Rebecca. The history of Rebecca gives this family its wider story. Rebecca has a place in biblical naming traditions.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Riva through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,619
- 0 boys · 1,619 girls
- Most popular year
- 2023
- 57 babies
- 2025
- 41
- #3,697 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +24%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 41 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 3,697 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 24.3% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (7). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,698 as a first name in 2020; 1,388 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Riva’s family of names
Riva is a form of Rebecca. Riva has a related form in Reva. Riva has a related form in Rivka.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 15
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Riva
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Riva, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Iza
Iza is a feminine given name from Polish, ultimately from Biblical Hebrew. It is used in Polish, Hungarian, and Slovak.
3% boys · 97% girls
Delilah
“she who weakened”
>99% girls
Seba
“drunkard”
>99% girls
Ifan
“God is gracious”
24% boys · 76% girls
Timna
“restraint”
1% boys · 99% girls
Rosario
“refers to the rosary and Our Lady of the Rosary” · “refers to the rosary”
22% boys · 78% girls
Léa
“languid”
>99% girls
Eubha
“giver of life; a lively woman”
>99% girls