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

Riba, 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 Riba surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Riba in America

Riba is the 58604th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Riba surname appeared 346 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 Riba.

We can also compare 2010 data for Riba 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 Riba

The surname Riba has its origins in Spain, with records of the name dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "ribera," which means "riverbank" or "shore." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a river or along the coast.

One of the earliest known references to the Riba surname is found in a document from the city of Barcelona in 1185, where it is recorded as "de Riba." This indicates that the name may have initially been used to denote someone's place of origin or residence.

During the medieval period, the name Riba appeared in various forms, including Riva, Ribe, and Ribas. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and spelling conventions at the time.

In the 13th century, a notable figure with the surname Riba was Guillem de Riba, a Catalan poet and troubadour who lived from 1230 to 1280. His works are considered important examples of early Catalan literature.

Another historical figure with the Riba surname was Pedro de Riba, a Spanish explorer and navigator who was born in Valencia in the late 15th century. He accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493 and was involved in the early exploration and colonization of the Caribbean islands.

In the 16th century, the Riba surname was associated with several prominent families in the region of Catalonia, including the Riba de Nebot and Riba d'Espill families, who were influential in the cultural and political affairs of the time.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Riba surname in the Americas is found in the records of the Spanish settlements in Mexico during the 16th century. Juan de Riba, born in 1520 in Seville, Spain, was among the first settlers in the region of Veracruz and played a role in the establishment of Spanish colonial rule there.

Another notable figure with the Riba surname was Francisco de Riba, a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who lived from 1590 to 1660. He served as the governor of the Philippine Islands from 1645 to 1648 and was instrumental in the defense of the islands against Dutch and Portuguese attacks.

The surname Riba has also been associated with various place names throughout Spain, such as Riba-roja (meaning "red riverbank") and Ribadavia (derived from the Latin "ripa" meaning "riverbank" and "avia" meaning "river").

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Riba

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

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 Riba 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 Riba 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 Riba was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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