Riva History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Spain

Noble surnames, such as Riva, evoke images of the ancient homeland of the Spanish people. The original bearer of the name Riva, which is a local surname, once lived, held land, or was born in the beautiful region of Spain. In Spain, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules and during the late Middle Ages, names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread. Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. The Riva family originally lived near a river bank or seaside. The surname Riva is derived from the word riparia, which is further derived form the Latin word ripa, which mean river bank or seaside.

Early Origins of the Riva family

The surname Riva was first found in Leon, in northwestern Spain.

Early History of the Riva family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Riva research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1212, 1236, 1243, 1248, 1265, 1576 and 1655 are included under the topic Early Riva History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Riva Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Rivas, Riva, Ribas, Riba, de Rivas, de Ribas, de la Riva, de la Riba, de Riva, de Riba and many more.

Early Notables of the Riva family

Prominent among members of the family

19th century Peruvian politician José de la Riva Agüero, 1st President of Peru

Riva Ranking

In France, the name Riva is the 5,067^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 1

Riva migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Riva Settlers in United States in the 16th Century

Juan de Riva, who sailed to the Spanish Main in 1527
Juan de Riva. He witnessed the reconstruction of Buenos Aires in 1580 and charted the Río de la Plata

Riva Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

R DeLa Riva, aged 21, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1826 2
Juan De Riva, who landed in Spanish Main in 1827 2
Ramon DeLa Riva, aged 28, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1829 2
Ventura Riva, aged 40, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1829 2
N Riva, aged 50, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1839 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Riva migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Riva Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Fernando Riva, (Ferdinand), English convict who was convicted in West Riding, Yorkshire, England for 14 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 18th June 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Riva (post 1700) +

J. Michael Riva (1948-2012), American Primetime Emmy Award winning production designer
Lorenzo Riva (1938-2023), Italian fashion designer
Emmanuelle Riva (1927-2017), French BAFTA Award nominated actress, known for her roles in Hiroshima mon amour (1959) and Amour (2012)
Riva Marie Di Paola (b. 1978), Canadian actress
Riva Lehrer (b. 1958), American painter, writer, teacher, and speaker

Citations +

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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora