2000
#553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 54,588
First available Census row
Per 100,000 20.24
Uncommon Last name
Rivas
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of the numerous places named Rivas, meaning "river banks."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 90,433 Americans carry the last name Rivas. That puts it at #401 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 26.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,790 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rivas surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Rivas with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
90K
1 in 3,790
Census rank
#401
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
26.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
79K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 78,862 bearers of the surname Rivas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 26.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 401st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rivas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Black (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rivas
The surname Rivas has its origins in Spain, where it first emerged during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "riba," which means "riverbank" or "shore," suggesting that the name was initially given to someone who lived near a river or coastal area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rivas can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrias, a medieval census document from the 14th century. This document lists several individuals with the surname Rivas, indicating that the name was already well-established at that time.
The name Rivas is also closely associated with the town of Rivas-Vaciamadrid, located near Madrid. This town likely took its name from the same root word as the surname, further reinforcing the connection between the name and its geographical origins.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Rivas. One of the earliest was Pedro de Rivas (c. 1500 - c. 1570), a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés. He later served as a royal treasurer and wrote a chronicle of the conquest.
Another prominent figure was Ángel de Saavedra, Duke of Rivas (1791 - 1865), a Spanish romantic poet, dramatist, and politician. He is considered one of the most important figures of the Spanish Romantic movement and is best known for his play "Don Álvaro o la fuerza del sino" (Don Alvaro or the Force of Fate).
In the 20th century, Tomás Rivera (1935 - 1984) was a notable American author and academic of Mexican descent. He is best known for his novel "...y no se lo tragó la tierra" (...And the Earth Did Not Devour Him), which explored the experiences of migrant farm workers in the United States.
Another famous bearer of the name was Gerardo Rivas (1924 - 2015), a Chilean painter and sculptor known for his abstract and cubist works. He was a prominent figure in the Chilean art scene and his works are displayed in museums around the world.
Finally, Naty Revuelta Rivas (1966 - ), also known as Naty Revuelta, is a contemporary Spanish singer and actress. She has released several successful albums and has appeared in numerous television shows and films throughout her career.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rivas
Among Census respondents with the surname Rivas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Black (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Rivas bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Rivas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.4% · 73,678
- White5.0% · 3,908
- Black or African American0.6% · 465
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 363
- Two or more races0.3% · 232
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 216
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rivas
Rivas appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#426
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 76,205
+21,617 bearers (+39.6%)
Per 100,000 25.83
Rank movement Up 127 places
2020
#401
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 78,862
+2,657 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 26.38
Rank movement Up 25 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #553 | 54,588 | 20.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #426 | 76,205 | 25.83 | +21,617 bearers (+39.6%) | Up 127 places |
| 2020 | #401 | 78,862 | 26.38 | +2,657 bearers (+3.5%) | Up 25 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Rivas surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #426 | #401 | 5.9% |
| Count | 76,205 | 78,862 | 3.5% |
| Per 100K | 25.83 | 26.38 | 2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rivas bearers went from 76,205 to 78,862 (+3.5% change). The surname moved up 25 positions in the national ranking, going from #426 to #401.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Rivas
FAQ
Rivas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rivas?
Name Census estimates that about 90,433 living Americans carry the surname Rivas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,790 residents.
How common is Rivas?
Rivas ranks #401 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 26.38 per 100,000 residents, which is about 26 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 78,862 people with the surname Rivas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (90,433), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 26.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 26.38 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 26 of them to have the surname Rivas.
Has Rivas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rivas went from 76,205 recorded bearers to 78,862. That is an increase of 2,657 (+3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #426 to #401.
What does the Census say about the background of Rivas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rivas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Black (0.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rivas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (73,678 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rivas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.4%), White (5.0%), Black (0.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Rivas (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Rivas mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of the numerous places named Rivas, meaning "river banks." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Rivas (26.38 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Rivas?
You can see how many people have the last name Rivas on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.