2000
#6,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,905
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.82
Rare Last name
Ribeiro
A Portuguese toponymic surname indicating someone from a place abundant in riverbanks or shores.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,780 Americans carry the last name Ribeiro. That puts it at #4,506 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,038 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ribeiro surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ribeiro with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.8K
1 in 39,038
Census rank
#4,506
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,657 bearers of the surname Ribeiro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4506th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ribeiro, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Hispanic (7.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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One of the earliest known records of the surname Ribeiro dates back to the 12th century, when it appeared in Portuguese historical documents.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ribeiro
Among Census respondents with the surname Ribeiro, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Hispanic (7.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ribeiro bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ribeiro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.7% · 5,949
- Black or African American8.2% · 625
- Hispanic or Latino7.8% · 594
- Two or more races3.4% · 258
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 207
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ribeiro
Ribeiro appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,712
+1,807 bearers (+36.8%)
Per 100,000 2.28
Rank movement Up 1,189 places
2020
#4,506
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,657
+945 bearers (+14.1%)
Per 100,000 2.56
Rank movement Up 700 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,395 | 4,905 | 1.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,206 | 6,712 | 2.28 | +1,807 bearers (+36.8%) | Up 1,189 places |
| 2020 | #4,506 | 7,657 | 2.56 | +945 bearers (+14.1%) | Up 700 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ribeiro surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,206 | #4,506 | 13.4% |
| Count | 6,712 | 7,657 | 14.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.28 | 2.56 | 12.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ribeiro bearers went from 6,712 to 7,657 (+14.1% change). The surname moved up 700 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,206 to #4,506.
FAQ
Ribeiro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ribeiro?
Name Census estimates that about 8,780 living Americans carry the surname Ribeiro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,038 residents.
How common is Ribeiro?
Ribeiro ranks #4,506 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,657 people with the surname Ribeiro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,780), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Ribeiro.
Has Ribeiro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ribeiro went from 6,712 recorded bearers to 7,657. That is an increase of 945 (+14.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,206 to #4,506.
What does the Census say about the background of Ribeiro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ribeiro, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Hispanic (7.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ribeiro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.7% (5,949 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ribeiro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.7%), Black (8.2%), Hispanic (7.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ribeiro (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ribeiro mean?
A Portuguese toponymic surname indicating someone from a place abundant in riverbanks or shores. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ribeiro (2.56 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Ribeiro?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.