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

Riofrío, 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 Riofrío surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Riofrío in America

Riofrío is the 48436th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Riofrío surname appeared 436 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 Riofrío.

We can also compare 2010 data for Riofrío 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 Riofrío

The surname Riofrio has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish words "rio" meaning river and "frio" meaning cold, likely referring to a geographic location associated with a cold river.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Riofrio can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a medieval census document from the 14th century. This document lists several individuals with the surname Riofrio, indicating that the name was already established in certain regions of Spain during that time.

The name Riofrio is also linked to various place names across Spain. For instance, there is a municipality called Riofrío in the province of León, which may have contributed to the surname's origins. Additionally, there are villages and towns with similar names, such as Riofrío de Aliste in Zamora and Riofrío de Riaza in Segovia.

One notable figure associated with the surname Riofrio is Juan de Riofrio, a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of the Canary Islands in the 15th century. He is mentioned in chronicles from that time as having played a significant role in the conquest of Tenerife.

Another prominent individual with the surname Riofrio is Pedro de Riofrio, a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century. He is documented as having participated in several battles and expeditions during this pivotal period in the colonization of the Americas.

In the realm of literature, one can find references to the surname Riofrio in works by Spanish authors from the Golden Age. For example, the playwright Lope de Vega mentions a character named Riofrio in one of his plays, suggesting that the name held some recognition during that era.

Additionally, there are records of individuals with the surname Riofrio serving in the Spanish military throughout various conflicts, such as the Reconquista and the Spanish-American wars of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Lastly, it is worth mentioning the artist and engraver José Riofrio, who was born in Seville in the late 18th century. His works, which included engravings and illustrations, were highly regarded during his lifetime and contributed to the cultural heritage of Spain.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Riofrío

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

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

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

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