2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rigau
A Catalan surname derived from a geographical name indicating origin or residence.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Rigau. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rigau 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.
Bearers in the US
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Rigau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rigau, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 72.6%. The next largest groups are White (27.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rigau
The surname RIGAU is believed to have originated from the Catalonia region of Spain. It is derived from the Catalan word "riu," meaning river, and is thought to have been initially used as a topographic name for someone living near a river or stream.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the RIGAU surname dates back to the late 13th century in the town of Ripoll, located in the Pyrenees mountains of Catalonia. The name appears in a historical document from 1287, which mentions a landowner named Pere Rigau.
During the medieval period, the RIGAU name can be found in various records and manuscripts throughout Catalonia and the surrounding regions. For example, in the 14th century, a nobleman named Bernat Rigau was listed as a signatory on a treaty between the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of Empúries.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Joan Rigau was a respected painter and sculptor from the city of Girona. His works can still be seen in several churches and museums in the region.
Another prominent individual with the RIGAU surname was Miquel Rigau, a Catalan writer and philosopher who lived from 1615 to 1683. He was known for his works on ethics and moral philosophy, which were influential during the Baroque period.
In the 19th century, a businessman named Josep Rigau played a significant role in the development of the textile industry in Catalonia. He founded a successful textile factory in Barcelona, which employed hundreds of workers and contributed to the region's economic growth.
As the RIGAU surname spread beyond Catalonia, it can be found in various spellings and variations, such as Rigaud, Rigault, and Rigal, reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences of different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rigau
Among Census respondents with the surname Rigau, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 72.6%. The next largest groups are White (27.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Rigau 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 Rigau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino72.6% · 82
- White27.4% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rigau
Rigau appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 32 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 Rigau 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 | #147,253 | #147,221 | 0.0% |
| Count | 112 | 113 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rigau bearers went from 112 to 113 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #147,221.
FAQ
Rigau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rigau?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Rigau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Rigau?
Rigau ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 113 people with the surname Rigau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Rigau.
Has Rigau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rigau went from 112 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Rigau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rigau, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 72.6%. The next largest groups are White (27.4%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rigau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.6% (82 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rigau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (72.6%), White (27.4%). 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 Rigau (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 Rigau mean?
A Catalan surname derived from a geographical name indicating origin or residence. 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 Rigau (0.04 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 people share the surname Rigau?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.