Rivera History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished surname Rivera is a proud sign of a rich and ancient ancestry. The name was originally derived from the Castilian word “rivera,” which means “riverbank.” Thus it is quite probable that the first families to take on Rivera as a surname lived near the banks of a river.

Early Origins of the Rivera family

The surname Rivera was first found in Castile, the kingdom that led the Reconquest of the peninsula from the Muslims, in medieval times.