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

Rious, 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 Rious surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rious in America

Rious is the 117480th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rious surname appeared 148 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 Rious.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rious 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 Rious

The surname RIOUS is believed to have originated in the Normandy region of northern France during the early medieval period. It may be derived from the Old French word "rious," meaning "laughing" or "merry." This suggests that the name could have been initially bestowed as a descriptive nickname for someone with a joyful disposition.

The earliest recorded instance of the RIOUS surname can be traced back to the late 11th century, shortly after the Norman Conquest of England. A nobleman named Renaud Rious was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror.

In the 12th century, a notable figure bearing the RIOUS name was William Rious, a knight who accompanied King Richard I on the Third Crusade (1189-1192). William Rious was said to have distinguished himself in battles against the Saracens and received lands in Hertfordshire upon his return to England.

During the 13th century, the RIOUS surname began to appear in various spellings, such as Ryous, Riouse, and Riouce, reflecting the fluidity of written language at the time. One prominent member of the family was Sir John Rious (c. 1230-1298), a landed gentleman from Wiltshire who served as a magistrate and sheriff under King Edward I.

The RIOUS name also gained recognition in the realm of literature during the 14th century. Geoffrey Rious (c. 1320-1385), a scholar and poet from Kent, was celebrated for his allegorical works inspired by the courtly love tradition of the time.

In the 15th century, the RIOUS surname was associated with the village of Rioville, located in the Calvados region of Normandy. This place name likely derived from the Latin word "rivus," meaning "stream," suggesting that the RIOUS family may have originated from or held lands near this location.

Throughout its history, the RIOUS name has been carried by notable individuals across various fields. These include Jean Rious (1562-1631), a French mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of logarithms, and Sir Thomas Rious (1678-1744), an English architect renowned for his baroque-style country estates.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rious

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

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

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

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