Find out how popular the last name Rias is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Rias.

Rias, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Rias surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rias in America

Rias is the 37792nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rias surname appeared 588 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Rias.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rias to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Rias

The surname RIAS has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the late 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "río," meaning river, suggesting a connection to a specific location near a river or stream.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Archivo Histórico Nacional de España (National Historical Archive of Spain), where a document from 1492 mentions a certain Juan de Rias. This individual was likely from the region of Andalusia or Extremadura, where the name was more prevalent.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name RIAS appeared in various municipal records and census documents across Spain. One notable example is Francisco de Rias, a renowned painter from Seville who lived from 1580 to 1644.

As the Spanish Empire expanded, the name RIAS also found its way to the Americas. In 1624, a man named Pedro de Rias was listed among the early settlers in the city of Cartagena, located in present-day Colombia.

In the realm of literature, the surname RIAS is mentioned in the works of the famous Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616), although no specific individuals with that name are identified.

Moving into the 18th century, the name RIAS appears in records from the Spanish colonial era in the Philippines. A certain Isidro Rias, born in 1712, was a notable figure in the city of Manila during that time.

Another notable bearer of the surname was Juan Antonio Rias, a Spanish military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War. Born in 1745 in Cádiz, Spain, he fought alongside the Spanish forces that allied with the American colonists against the British.

As the centuries progressed, the RIAS surname continued to be present in various regions of Spain, as well as in the former Spanish colonies. However, it remained a relatively uncommon name, especially when compared to other more widespread Spanish surnames.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rias

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Rias.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Rias was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Rias has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Rias was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Rias, please contact us.

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