Riona
A feminine Irish name derived from Rí meaning "queen" or "kingly".
Name Census estimates that about 561 living Americans carry the first name Riona. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Riona today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Riona births was 2015 (33 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Riona. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Riona with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
561
~ 1 in 610,970 Americans
Peak year
2015
33 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,496
Tracked since 1996
Census
Riona in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 499 people with the first name Riona, which placed it at #20,625 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#20,625
National first-name rank
People counted
499
499 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
42.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Riona
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Riona is Asian/Pacific Islander at 42.5%. The next largest groups are White (32.7%) and Black (11.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Riona described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Riona at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander42.5% · 212
- White32.7% · 163
- Black or African American11.0% · 55
- Two or more races10.0% · 50
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 19
Popularity
Riona: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Riona from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 238 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Riona remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Riona by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Riona during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rionas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Massachusetts, New York recorded the most babies named Riona, while New York, Massachusetts, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 22 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Riona
The name Riona is derived from the Irish Gaelic language and is believed to have originated in the medieval period. It is a feminine form of the name Rion, which is thought to be a variant of the Irish name Rian, meaning "little king" or "vigorous."
The earliest recorded use of the name Riona can be traced back to the 12th century, where it appears in ancient Irish manuscripts and genealogical records. However, the name was relatively uncommon during this time and was primarily used by Irish noble families and clans.
In the 16th century, the name Riona gained some popularity among the Irish aristocracy, particularly in the provinces of Connacht and Munster. One notable figure from this period was Riona O'Brien (c. 1550-1620), a noblewoman and landowner from County Clare, who played a significant role in the Irish Confederate Wars of the 1640s.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Riona became more widespread in Ireland, though it remained relatively rare outside of the country. In the late 19th century, the Irish literary revival and the rise of Irish nationalism contributed to a renewed interest in traditional Irish names, including Riona.
One of the most famous historical figures to bear the name Riona was Riona Ni Mheadhra (1875-1958), an Irish language scholar and writer from County Mayo. She was a prominent figure in the Gaelic Revival movement and played a crucial role in preserving and promoting the Irish language and culture.
Another notable Riona was Riona Ui Fhearghail (1900-1980), an Irish politician and activist who served as a member of the Irish Parliament (Dáil Éireann) from 1923 to 1957. She was a staunch advocate for women's rights and played a pivotal role in the struggle for Irish independence.
In more recent times, the name Riona has gained popularity outside of Ireland, particularly in English-speaking countries with large Irish diasporas, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia. One notable modern figure is Riona Treacy (born 1984), an Irish-American professional soccer player who has represented the United States national team.
While the name Riona has ancient roots and a rich cultural heritage, it remains a relatively uncommon name globally. However, its unique and melodic sound has contributed to its enduring appeal among those seeking a distinctive Irish name with a strong historical resonance.
People
Riona + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Riona as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Riona: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Riona?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 561 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Riona going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 610,970 US residents.
Is Riona a common name?
We classify Riona as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 567 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Riona most popular?
The single biggest year for Riona was 2015, when 33 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Riona is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Riona in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 499 people with the name Riona, or 0.17 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #20,625 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Riona in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Riona?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Riona appears almost entirely female. Of the 495 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Riona?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Riona is Asian/Pacific Islander at 42.5%. The next largest groups are White (32.7%) and Black (11.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Riona most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Riona in the 2020 Census, accounting for 42.5% (212 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Riona in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Riona a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Riona in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Riona still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Riona in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Riona can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people share the name Riona?
Want to know how many Americans are named Riona? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.