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

Rios, 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 Rios surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rios in America

Rios is the 237th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rios surname appeared 127,794 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 43 people would have the surname Rios.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rios 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 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rios

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

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

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

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