2000
#30,120
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 734
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.27
Very Rare Last name
Rivette
A French surname derived from a diminutive of the French word "rivière" meaning "little river."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 868 Americans carry the last name Rivette. That puts it at #32,541 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 394,878 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rivette 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.
Bearers in the US
868
1 in 394,878
Census rank
#32,541
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
757
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 757 bearers of the surname Rivette in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 32541st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rivette, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (12.0%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rivette
The surname Rivette originates from France, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages around the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "rivette," which refers to a small stream or river, indicating that the name likely originated from someone who lived near a watercourse.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rivette can be found in the 13th-century cartulary of the Abbey of Saint-Bénigne in Dijon, which mentions a certain "Petrus de Rivetta." This suggests that the name may have originated in the Burgundy region of eastern France.
During the medieval period, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Rivette, Rivete, Rivet, and Rivette. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and scribal errors in record-keeping.
Notable historical figures with the surname Rivette include Jean Rivette (1928-2016), a renowned French film director and screenwriter who was a key figure in the French New Wave cinema movement. His films, such as "La Religieuse" (1966) and "Celine and Julie Go Boating" (1974), were highly influential and celebrated for their experimental and unconventional storytelling techniques.
Another prominent individual was Henri Rivette (1827-1892), a French architect who designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Palais du Trocadéro, which was constructed for the 1878 World's Fair.
In the literary world, Jacques Rivette (1886-1925) was a French writer and poet known for his works exploring themes of love and nature. His collection of poems, "Les Soirs d'Orée," published in 1911, received critical acclaim.
Historically, the name Rivette has also been associated with certain place names in France. For example, the village of Rivette in the department of Somme may have contributed to the surname's origins.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name outside of France is found in the 17th century, when Jean Rivette (1611-1672), a French Jesuit missionary, traveled to Canada and established missions among the indigenous populations.
Throughout its history, the surname Rivette has maintained a strong presence in France, although it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and descendants of French ancestors.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rivette
Among Census respondents with the surname Rivette, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (12.0%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Rivette 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 Rivette surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.7% · 588
- Black or African American12.0% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 38
- Two or more races4.2% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rivette
Rivette 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
#32,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 718
-16 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 2,003 places
2020
#32,541
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 757
+39 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Down 418 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #30,120 | 734 | 0.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #32,123 | 718 | 0.24 | -16 bearers (-2.2%) | Down 2,003 places |
| 2020 | #32,541 | 757 | 0.25 | +39 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 418 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 Rivette 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 | #32,123 | #32,541 | -1.3% |
| Count | 718 | 757 | 5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.24 | 0.25 | 5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rivette bearers went from 718 to 757 (+5.4% change). The surname moved down 418 positions in the national ranking, going from #32,123 to #32,541.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Rivette
FAQ
Rivette surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rivette?
Name Census estimates that about 868 living Americans carry the surname Rivette. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 394,878 residents.
How common is Rivette?
Rivette ranks #32,541 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 757 people with the surname Rivette. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (868), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Rivette.
Has Rivette become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rivette went from 718 recorded bearers to 757. That is an increase of 39 (+5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #32,123 to #32,541.
What does the Census say about the background of Rivette?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rivette, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (12.0%) and Hispanic (5.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rivette in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.7% (588 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rivette appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.7%), Black (12.0%), Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Rivette (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 Rivette mean?
A French surname derived from a diminutive of the French word "rivière" meaning "little river." 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 Rivette (0.25 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 are called Rivette?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Rivette, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.