Riven
- Gender
- Mostly boys
- Say it
- RIV-en
- Origin
- English
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,686 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #2,390 for boys
Riven is a name of English origin, meaning “split apart”. In 2025 it ranked 1,686th for boys in the UK (16 babies) and 2,390th for boys in the US (57 babies).
What does Riven mean?
English: English word, from Old Norse rifa 'to tear'
“split apart”
As a word, riven means split or torn apart; as a first name it is a modern choice, close in sound to River.
Is Riven a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Riven has been given to girls and boys, mostly boys. In 2025, it was given to 5 girls and 16 boys in the UK and 13 girls and 57 boys in the US.
How popular is Riven in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,686among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 16about 1 in 19,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising fastup 750% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 16 boys in the UK were named Riven, making it the 1,686th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,803rd. Its busiest year was 2023, with 23 boys. 5 girls were also named Riven in 2025 (4,276th for girls).
Half of all the boys named Riven in the UK since 1996 were born between 2017 and 2024, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2016, 55% of the babies named Riven in the UK were girls. By 2025 it was 24%, with more boys than girls since 2021.
Among boys in 2025, it was 1,612th in England and Wales.
Riven in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 16 | #1,686 |
| 2024 | 12 | #2,009 |
| 2023 | 23 | #1,286 |
| 2022 | 12 | #1,999 |
| 2021 | 12 | #1,969 |
| 2020 | 3 | #4,803 |
| 2019 | 3 | #4,913 |
| 2018 | 0 | – |
| 2017 | 4 | #4,161 |
| 2016 | 5 | #3,655 |
| 2015 | 0 | – |
| 2014 | 0 | – |
| 2013 | 3 | #4,884 |
| 2012 | 6 | #3,167 |
| 2011 | 0 | – |
| 2010 | 0 | – |
| 2009 | 0 | – |
| 2008 | 4 | #3,836 |
| 2007 | 0 | – |
| 2006 | 3 | #4,204 |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 3 | #3,593 |
How popular is Riven in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #2,390among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 57about 1 in 30,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising fastup 246% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 57 boys in the US were named Riven, making it the 2,390th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 6,616th. It first appears in the records in 2008. 13 girls were also named Riven in 2025 (7,883rd for girls).
2025 had the most boys named Riven of any year since it first appeared, in 2008.
Half of all the boys named Riven in the US since 1880 were born between 2019 and 2024, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2019, 53% of the babies named Riven in the US were girls. By 2025 it was 19%, with more boys than girls since 2021.
Riven in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 57 | #2,390 |
| 2024 | 30 | #3,691 |
| 2023 | 55 | #2,440 |
| 2022 | 33 | #3,462 |
| 2021 | 37 | #3,179 |
| 2020 | 12 | #6,616 |
| 2019 | 16 | #5,551 |
| 2018 | 13 | #6,341 |
| 2017 | 5 | #12,241 |
| 2016 | 9 | #8,141 |
| 2015 | 11 | #7,061 |
| 2014 | 8 | #8,775 |
| 2013 | 7 | #9,650 |
| 2012 | 6 | #10,763 |
| 2011 | 0 | – |
| 2010 | 7 | #9,686 |
| 2009 | 0 | – |
| 2008 | 6 | #11,030 |
Names like Riven
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Ronan Rowan Avyaan Ivaan Kayden Aarav Vihaan Arjan Finn Raven Bodhi Shivansh
Names related to Riven
More English names
Lily Evelyn Hudson Ivy Harper Grace Violet Willow Daisy Poppy Riley Oakley Mason Cooper Ruby Hallie
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Riven: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/riven, updated 20 October 2026.