2000
#285
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 96,569
First available Census row
Per 100,000 35.80
Common Last name
Rios
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating someone who lived near a river or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 144,930 Americans carry the last name Rios. That puts it at #233 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 42.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,365 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rios 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 Rios with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
145K
1 in 2,365
Census rank
#233
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
42.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
126K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 126,386 bearers of the surname Rios in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 42.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 233rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rios, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rios
The surname Rios originates from Spain and Portugal, derived from the Spanish and Portuguese word "rio" meaning "river." It likely emerged as a descriptive name given to individuals who lived near a river or who worked as ferrymen or fishermen along a riverbank.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Rios can be found in the Repartimiento de Sevilla, a document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of land and property in Seville, Spain, after the Christian conquest. Several individuals with the surname Rios are listed, indicating the presence of this name in the region during that time.
In the 14th century, the surname Rios appeared in various historical records, such as the Libro de la Montería (Book of the Hunt) by King Alfonso XI of Castile, which mentioned several individuals with this surname who were involved in hunting expeditions.
During the 15th century, the surname Rios gained prominence with individuals like Pedro Rios, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 16th century.
Another notable figure was Antonio de los Rios y Rivas (1561-1635), a Spanish nobleman and diplomat who served as the Spanish ambassador to the Holy Roman Empire and was a member of the Council of State.
In the 17th century, Juan Bautista Rios (1600-1665), a Spanish poet and dramatist, gained recognition for his literary works, including plays and religious poetry.
The surname Rios also spread to the New World during the Spanish colonization of the Americas. One prominent individual was José María Ríos Fernández (1801-1877), a Mexican military officer and politician who served as the President of Mexico from 1853 to 1855.
Another notable figure was Raimundo Fernández Ríos (1846-1924), a Puerto Rican lawyer, writer, and politician who played a significant role in the Puerto Rican independence movement and served as a delegate to the Spanish Cortes.
Throughout history, the surname Rios has been associated with various places and regions, such as the town of Ríos in Orense, Spain, and the Río de la Plata region in Argentina and Uruguay, where it is commonly found.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rios
Among Census respondents with the surname Rios, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Rios 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 Rios surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.7% · 117,177
- White5.5% · 6,969
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 692
- Black or African American0.5% · 660
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 445
- Two or more races0.4% · 443
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rios
Rios 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
#237
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127,794
+31,225 bearers (+32.3%)
Per 100,000 43.32
Rank movement Up 48 places
2020
#233
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126,386
-1,408 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 42.28
Rank movement Up 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #285 | 96,569 | 35.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #237 | 127,794 | 43.32 | +31,225 bearers (+32.3%) | Up 48 places |
| 2020 | #233 | 126,386 | 42.28 | -1,408 bearers (-1.1%) | Up 4 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 Rios 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 | #237 | #233 | 1.7% |
| Count | 127,794 | 126,386 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 43.32 | 42.28 | -2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rios bearers went from 127,794 to 126,386 (-1.1% change). The surname moved up 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #237 to #233.
FAQ
Rios surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rios?
Name Census estimates that about 144,930 living Americans carry the surname Rios. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,365 residents.
How common is Rios?
Rios ranks #233 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 42.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 42 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 126,386 people with the surname Rios. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (144,930), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 42.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 42.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 42 of them to have the surname Rios.
Has Rios become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rios went from 127,794 recorded bearers to 126,386. That is a decrease of 1,408 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #237 to #233.
What does the Census say about the background of Rios?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rios, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). 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 Rios in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (117,177 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rios appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.7%), White (5.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). 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 Rios (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 Rios mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating someone who lived near a river or stream. 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 Rios (42.28 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 common is the surname Rios?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Rios at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.