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

Ribeiro, 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 Ribeiro surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ribeiro in America

Ribeiro is the 5206th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ribeiro surname appeared 6,712 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Ribeiro.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ribeiro 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 Ribeiro

The surname Ribeiro originated in Portugal and Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Portuguese and Spanish word "ribeiro," which means "small river" or "stream." The name likely referred to individuals who lived near a small river or stream.

One of the earliest known records of the surname Ribeiro dates back to the 12th century, when it appeared in Portuguese historical documents. The name was particularly common in the northern regions of Portugal, such as Minho and Douro Litoral.

In the 13th century, the surname Ribeiro was mentioned in the "Livro Velho de Linhagens" (Old Book of Lineages), a Portuguese manuscript that recorded the genealogies of noble families. This suggests that the name had gained prominence among the nobility during that time.

During the Age of Discovery, several notable individuals with the surname Ribeiro played significant roles in the exploration and colonization of the New World. One such figure was Diogo Ribeiro, a Portuguese cartographer who lived in the early 16th century and created important maps of the world's coastlines.

Another notable Ribeiro was Pedro Ribeiro Moreira, a Portuguese explorer who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his famous circumnavigation of the globe in the early 16th century. He was one of the 18 survivors of the voyage.

In the 17th century, Manuel Ribeiro da Silva was a prominent Portuguese architect who designed several churches and convents in Portugal, including the Igreja da Misericórdia in Évora.

The surname Ribeiro also has a strong connection to the regions of Galicia in Spain and the northern Portuguese region of Trás-os-Montes. In Galicia, the name is often spelled as "Riveiro," reflecting the regional linguistic variations.

Throughout history, the surname Ribeiro has been associated with various professions, including agriculture, literature, and the arts. Several notable writers and poets have carried this surname, including the 20th-century Portuguese poet José Ribeiro Couto and the Brazilian writer João Ubaldo Ribeiro.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ribeiro

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

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

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

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