Mostly boys · peaked in 2022
River name popularity since 1925
59,351 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named River (33.2% girls, 66.8% boys). Half of them were born in 2019 or earlier, so the typical River is about 7 years old in 2026. River peaked in 2022 as the #105 name for boys, and it ranked #111 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 59,351
- Named River, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #111
- for boys in 2025 (3,139 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 66.8% boys
- 19,675 girls · 39,676 boys
- Most popular in
- Idaho
- 2.46× its national share
Peak year is the year River made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
River births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 2021. Measured as a share of all babies, River peaked in 2022.
- Fastest rise: Between 2011 and 2016, River became 2.9× more common, from 1 in 2,940 baby boys to 1 in 1,020.
Shaded on the chart. This compares River's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named River.
Decade by decade
Babies named River in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 0 | Under 5 |
| 1940s | 0 | 0 | Under 5 |
| 1950s | 0 | 0 | Under 5 |
| 1960s | 0 | 0 | Under 5 |
| 1970s | 0 | 26 | #4,681 |
| 1980s | 5 | 82 | Under 5 |
| 1990s | 267 | 2,023 | #619 |
| 2000s | 1,394 | 4,449 | #517 |
| 2010s | 8,201 | 13,860 | #244 |
| 2020–25 | 9,808 | 19,236 | #111 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000. "Under 5" means fewer than 5 boys got the name.
Generation fingerprint
81.1% of babies named River from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Alpha years (2013–2025). The full split by generation:
Where River is most popular
The index compares River's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named River.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Idaho | 2.46× | 565 |
| Utah | 2.37× | 1,163 |
| Oregon | 2.23× | 1,207 |
| Nevada | 2.20× | 452 |
| Arkansas | 1.97× | 1,165 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to River's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is River.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of River (2022).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data