River

Meaning of River

River flows into modern usage straight from the English word for a moving body of water, itself descending through Middle English revere and Old French riviere from the Latin riparia, “riverbank.” A true unisex option, it first trickled onto U.S. birth certificates in the 1970s, surged after actor River Phoenix’s brief but memorable career, and now charts around No. 110 with just over three thousand American newborns in 2024. Parents are drawn to its twin virtues: imagery that suggests calm momentum and a brisk, two-syllable form—pronounced simply RIV-er—that spares teachers and bureaucrats any guesswork. Nestled among nature-inspired contemporaries like Rowan and Sage, River feels neither obscure nor over-fished, offering a name as clear and self-contained as the watercourse it evokes.

Pronunciation

British English

• Pronunced as RIH-vuh (/ˈrɪvə/)

American English

• Pronunced as RIH-vur (/ˈrɪvər/)

English

• Pronunced as RIV-er (/ˈrɪv.ər/)

• Brook
• Reed
• Willow
• Lake
• Cove
• Ocean
• Bay