Rivet History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

The surname Rivet is occupational in origin and derives from a person that made rivets for armor. The word itself derives from the Old French word "rivet," meaning "small nail" or "bolt." 1

Early Origins of the Rivet family

The surname Rivet was first found in Poitou, where this family was installed in ancient times.

Many members of this family devoted their lives to the religious service and became bishops of their respective regions. The family branch Rivet sprung André Rivet, famous Calvinist theologian, born in 1573 at Confolens (Charente), dead in Nans in 1749. Antoine outlined and composed the first nine volumes of The Literary History of France (1728-1750), later continued by Dom Clémencet, D. Clément, and then by the French Institute.

He accomplished this large work in the monastery of Saint-Vincent of Mans where his superiors relegated him (1719) as editor of the famous, "Nécrologe de Port-Royal". Antoine Rivet de la Grange was a learned Benedictine.

Early History of the Rivet family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rivet research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1572, 1632, 1651, 1696, 1778, 1808 and 1818 are included under the topic Early Rivet History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rivet Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Rivest, Rivet, Rive, Rives, Larivest, Larivet, Larive, Larives, Delarive, Delarivest, Delarivet, Riverain, Rivaud, Rivaut, Rivereau, Rivelin, Rivelon and many more.

Early Notables of the Rivet family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

André Rivet (Andreas Rivetus) (1572-1651), a French Huguenot theologian, in 1632 Stadholder Frederick Henry (Prince of Orange) appointed Rivet tutor of his son, later known as William II, Prince of Or...

Rivet Ranking

In the United States, the name Rivet is the 16,026^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2 However, in France, the name Rivet is ranked the 719^th most popular surname with an estimated 6,776 people with that name. 3

Rivet migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Rivet Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jacques Rivet, aged 24, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 4

Rivet migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Rivet Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Maurice Rivet, son of Jacques and Marie, who married Catherine Barré, daughter of Jacques and Françoise, in Quebec on 17th November 1664 5
Maurice Rivet (direct ancestor of Cardinal Villeneuve) who settled in Quebec in Cont. Ameau with his wife Marie Cusson in 1671
Pierre Rivet who settled in Quebec with his wife Louise Du Souchet in 1683

Rivet Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Pierre Rivet, son of Pierre and Louise, who married Marie-Madeleine Rageot, daughter of Gilles and Marie-Madeleine, in Quebec on 28th November 1708 5
Alexandre Rivet, son of Pierre and Louise, who married Louise Arnaud, daughter of Bertrand and Louise, in Quebec on 23rd August 1712 5
Pierre Rivet who married in Montreal his wife Madeleine Sérat on July 12, 1714
Charles Rivet, son of Maurice and Marie, who married Marie-Josephte Desmarais, daughter of Paul-Jean and Marie-Thérèse, in Saint-Sulpice, Quebec on 1st February 1717 5
Nicolas Rivet, son of Maurice and Marie, who married Marie-Anne Langlois, daughter of Jean and Jeanne, in Repentigny, Quebec on 19th June 1719 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Rivet (post 1700) +

Wilfred Rivet, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Rhode Island, 1944, 1948 6
Joseph L. Rivet, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives 97th District; Elected 1998 6
Jean-Baptiste Rivet, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 7
Paul Rivet (1876-1958), French ethnologist, founder of the Musée de l'Homme in 1937
Louis-Alfred-Adhémar Rivet (1873-1951), Canadian lawyer and politician, Member of the Canadian Parliament for Hochelaga (1904-1911)
Élise Rivet (1890-1945), Roman Catholic nun and World War II heroine, killed in a gas chamber, honoured with her portrait on a postage stamp in 1961
Craig Rivet (b. 1974), Canadian NHL ice hockey player
Julien Rivet (b. 1932), Canadian director, born in Saint-Pierre of Mesage (Isère), Julien was the son of Hugues Rivet, laborer, and Suzanne Peyard. Husband of Claudine Bouvier in 1958, who bore him two children, Julien was the chief of manufacture of the paper-mill of Pont-Saint-Maxence from 1965 to 1968. He was then director of operations of Rolland Paper Co of Montreal (1968-1972) and since 1973, director general of Fasson-France in Jarrie

Citations +

Dionne, N.-E., Origine Des Familles Canadiennes-Français. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, August 27) Jean-Baptiste Rivet. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html