2000
#11,242
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,584
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Rioux
A French topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a stream or brook.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,969 Americans carry the last name Rioux. That puts it at #11,603 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 115,444 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rioux 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
3.0K
1 in 115,444
Census rank
#11,603
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,589 bearers of the surname Rioux in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11603rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rioux, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rioux
The surname Rioux originates from France and is believed to have derived from the Old French word "rieu," which means a small stream or a brook. It was likely a topographic name given to someone who lived near a small stream.
The name first appeared in the historical records in the 12th century, particularly in the regions of Normandy and Brittany in northern France. Some early records mention variations in spelling, such as Rieu, Rieus, and Rieus.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Guillaume Rioux, a Norman knight who participated in the Third Crusade in the late 12th century. Another historical figure was Jean Rioux, a prominent merchant from Rouen, who is mentioned in records from the 14th century.
In the 16th century, the name Rioux appears in the records of the Huguenot refugees who fled religious persecution in France and settled in various parts of Europe and North America. One notable Huguenot with this surname was Pierre Rioux, who settled in New Amsterdam (present-day New York) in the mid-17th century.
The name Rioux has also been associated with several place names in France, such as Rieux-en-Cambrésis in the Nord department and Rieux-Volvestre in the Haute-Garonne department. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Some notable individuals with the surname Rioux throughout history include:
1. Jean-Baptiste Rioux (1766-1828), a French military officer and explorer who served under Napoleon.
2. Louis-Victor Rioux (1825-1891), a French painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and portraits.
3. Édouard Rioux (1833-1900), a French author and journalist who wrote extensively on cultural and political topics.
4. Marcel Rioux (1919-1992), a Canadian sociologist and anthropologist who made significant contributions to the study of Quebec society.
5. Benoît Rioux (born 1957), a Canadian actor and filmmaker known for his work in both French and English-language productions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rioux
Among Census respondents with the surname Rioux, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Rioux 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 Rioux surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 2,398
- Two or more races3.7% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 11
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rioux
Rioux 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
#11,728
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,672
+88 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 486 places
2020
#11,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,589
-83 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Up 125 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,242 | 2,584 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,728 | 2,672 | 0.91 | +88 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 486 places |
| 2020 | #11,603 | 2,589 | 0.87 | -83 bearers (-3.1%) | Up 125 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 Rioux 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 | #11,728 | #11,603 | 1.1% |
| Count | 2,672 | 2,589 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.87 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rioux bearers went from 2,672 to 2,589 (-3.1% change). The surname moved up 125 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,728 to #11,603.
FAQ
Rioux surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rioux?
Name Census estimates that about 2,969 living Americans carry the surname Rioux. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 115,444 residents.
How common is Rioux?
Rioux ranks #11,603 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,589 people with the surname Rioux. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,969), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Rioux.
Has Rioux become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rioux went from 2,672 recorded bearers to 2,589. That is a decrease of 83 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,728 to #11,603.
What does the Census say about the background of Rioux?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rioux, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rioux in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (2,398 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rioux appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Rioux (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 Rioux mean?
A French topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a stream or brook. 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 Rioux (0.87 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 are called Rioux?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Rioux on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.