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Rives Family History

Rives Surname Meaning

English: variant of Rivis itself a variant of Revis.

French (southern): topographic name for someone who lived on the bank of a river or the shore of a lake from the plural of Old French rive ‘(river) bank shore’ (from Latin ripa); or a habitational name from any of several places called Les Rives e.g. in Hérault.

Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): metronymic from the Yiddish female personal name Rive a back-formation from Rivke (see Rifkin) + the Yiddish possessive suffix -s.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Rives family from?

You can see how Rives families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Rives family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Rives families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 22 Rives families living in Quebec. This was about 76% of all the recorded Rives's in Canada. Quebec had the highest population of Rives families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Rives surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Rives ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Rives. 29% of Rives men worked as a Farmer and 9% of Rives women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Rives were Farming and Secretary.

View Census Data for Rives | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

United States shown, Canada data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    29%
  • Laborer
    19%
  • Salesman
    6%
  • Farming
    6%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housekeeper
    9%
  • Housework
    8%
  • Laborer
    7%
  • Secretary
    7%

What Rives family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 20,000 census records available for the last name Rives. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Rives census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Rives

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Rives. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Rives immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 5,000 military records available for the last name Rives. For the veterans among your Rives ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Rives military records

You've only scratched the surface of Rives family history

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What is the average Rives lifespan?

Between 1953 and 2004, in the United States, Rives life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1953, and highest in 1990. The average life expectancy for Rives in 1953 was 42, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Rives

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Rives ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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