Where does “Rivera” come from?

Rivera comes from Old Spanish ribera, from Latin rivus, from Proto-Indo-European h₃rih₂wós, ultimately deriving from the root h₃er- meaning to flow or move.

Ancestry of “Rivera”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1SpanishRiverastream
2Vulgar Latin*rīvāria—
3Latinrīvusa small stream; brook, stream, rivulet
4Proto-Italicrīwos—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃riH-wó-s—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃reyH-to move, set in motion
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃er-to move, to stir; to rise, to spring; to quarrel,...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃er- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃reyH- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃riH-wó-s →