Boy, also used for girls · English (from Old French) · International
River
RiverSay it RIV-er
River meaning
River is an international boy's name of English origin (from Old French), also used for girls.
A river; from Old French riviere, Latin riparia, from ripa, "riverbank"
River is the English word used as a first name. The Online Etymology Dictionary dates it to the early thirteenth century, when it came from Anglo-French and Old French riviere, 'river, riverside, river bank', from Latin riparia and ripa, 'bank' or 'shore'. Its first sense was the bank rather than the water; Old English had used ea for a river. As a name River belongs to the modern taste for nature names, and it was carried by the actor River Phoenix. For Indian families it echoes names drawn from rivers, such as Ganga, Yamuna or Kaveri. It is said RIV-er.
Source: Online Etymology Dictionary (etymonline.com) · entry river · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Online Etymology Dictionary, river · Wikipedia, River Phoenix
Famous namesakes
- River Phoenix, American actor
Popularity abroad
- #111 United States, boys 2025 (up 1 from 112 in 2024)
US Social Security Administration - #110 England and Wales, boys 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.