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Rivers History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Rivers History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Rivers comes from when the family resided in various locations in England. The origins of this surname can be traced back to France where the name was used to denote someone who was a native of La Riviere. The surname Rivers was later introduced to England by early French settlers and was used to identify the individuals who lived by the river.

Early Origins of the Rivers family

The surname Rivers was first found in Buckinghamshire at Worminghall, a parish, in the union of Thame, hundred of Ashendon. " It formerly had a market, granted to John de Rivers in 1304, with a fair on the festival of St. Peter and St. Paul." 1

Early History of the Rivers family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rivers research. Another 125 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1110, 1280, 1442, 1483, 1573, 1579, 1601, 1603, 1614, 1615, 1640, 1641, 1651, 1656, 1657, 1660, 1665, 1679, 1695 and 1734 are included under the topic Early Rivers History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rivers Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Rivers has been recorded under many different variations, including Rivers, Ryvers, River, Ryver and others.

Early Notables of the Rivers family

Distinguished members of the family include

Anthony Woodville Rivers (1442-1483), English nobleman; James Rivers (1603-1641), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Lewes (1640) son of Sir John Rivers, 1st Baronet (c. 1579-1651), atten...
Antony Rivers (fl. 1615), was an English Jesuit, who also went by the name of Thomas Blewett and was living in London from 1601 to 1603. 2

Rivers Ranking

In the United States, the name Rivers is the 701^st most popular surname with an estimated 42,279 people with that name. 3

Rivers migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Rivers or a variant listed above:

Rivers Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Joan Rivers, who settled in Virginia in 1653 with her husband
Joane Rivers, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 4
Mary Rivers, who arrived in Maryland in 1661 4
Christopher Rivers, who arrived in Maryland in 1661 4
Edmond Rivers, who landed in Maryland in 1661 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Rivers Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Elizabeth Rivers, who settled in Virginia in 1726

Rivers Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Peter Rivers, aged 39, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1829 4
John Rivers, who landed in Texas in 1835 4
Juan Rivers, who arrived in Texas in 1835 4
Charles Rivers, who landed in New York in 1844 4
Anna Catharine Rivers, aged 52, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1848 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Rivers migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Rivers Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Ellen Rivers, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alma" in 1857
William Rivers, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alma" in 1857
James Rivers, aged 18, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alumbagh" in 1875 5

Rivers migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 6

Rivers Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

John Rivers, who settled in Jamaica in 1662
William Rivers, who settled in Barbados in 1679 with his servants

Contemporary Notables of the name Rivers (post 1700) +

Joan Rivers (1933-2014), born Joan Alexandra Molinsky, American comedienne and talk show host
Bobby Rivers (1953-2023), American television and radio personality and actor, host of the Top 5 show on the Food Network, and Watch Bobby Rivers
Larry "Gator" Rivers (1949-2023), American basketball player, coach, entertainer, and civil servant, a dribbler for the Harlem Globetrotters, and served as a coach, from 1973 to 1986
Ruben Rivers (1921-1944), American Staff Sergeant in the 761st Tank Battalion, Medal of Honor recipient
Samuel Rivers (b. 1923), American jazz musician
Philip Rivers (b. 1981), American NFL football player
Keith Rivers (b. 1986), American NFL football player
Johnny Rivers (b. 1942), born John Ramistella, American singer and songwriter, best known for his "Secret Agent Man"
Francine Rivers (b. 1947), American author, best known for her novel Redeeming Love
Glenn Anton "Doc" Rivers (b. 1961), American NBA basketball player and coach
... (Another 39 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies