2000
#36,716
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 574
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.21
Rare Last name
Rijo
A surname of Spanish origin meaning "small river" or "stream".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,249 Americans carry the last name Rijo. That puts it at #23,990 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 274,423 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rijo 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
1.2K
1 in 274,423
Census rank
#23,990
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,089 bearers of the surname Rijo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 23990th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rijo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rijo
The surname RIJO has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in Portugal and Spain, where it emerged during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "río," meaning "river," or the Portuguese equivalent, "rio." This suggests a potential connection to geographical features or settlements located near rivers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname RIJO can be traced back to the 15th century in Portuguese historical documents, where it appears as a reference to individuals residing in regions along major river valleys. However, the exact origin and meaning of the name remain somewhat uncertain, as it may have also evolved from other related words or place names.
In the 16th century, the RIJO surname gained prominence in certain regions of Portugal, particularly in the northern areas around the cities of Porto and Braga. Notable individuals bearing this surname during this time period include Pedro RIJO, a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Guimarães, who lived from approximately 1520 to 1589.
As the centuries progressed, the RIJO name spread across the Iberian Peninsula and eventually to other parts of the world through migration and exploration. During the 17th century, Diego RIJO, a Spanish explorer and navigator, played a significant role in mapping the coastlines of the Americas, contributing to the expansion of Spanish colonial territories.
One of the earliest documented instances of the RIJO surname in the Americas can be found in the records of Spanish settlers in Mexico, where Juan RIJO, a farmer and landowner, established a homestead in the region of Puebla in the late 1600s.
Moving into the 19th century, the RIJO name gained recognition in the arts and literature. Notably, Antónia RIJO, a Portuguese poet and writer born in 1832, made significant contributions to the Romantic literary movement in her home country.
Throughout history, the RIJO surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, and military figures. In the 20th century, José RIJO, a Spanish military officer and diplomat, played a crucial role in negotiations during the Spanish Civil War, born in 1901 and died in 1978.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rijo
Among Census respondents with the surname Rijo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Rijo 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 Rijo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino88.9% · 968
- White6.8% · 74
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 28
- Black or African American1.4% · 15
- Two or more races0.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rijo
Rijo 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
#27,081
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 894
+320 bearers (+55.7%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Up 9,635 places
2020
#23,990
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,089
+195 bearers (+21.8%)
Per 100,000 0.36
Rank movement Up 3,091 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #36,716 | 574 | 0.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #27,081 | 894 | 0.30 | +320 bearers (+55.7%) | Up 9,635 places |
| 2020 | #23,990 | 1,089 | 0.36 | +195 bearers (+21.8%) | Up 3,091 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 Rijo 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 | #27,081 | #23,990 | 11.4% |
| Count | 894 | 1,089 | 21.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.30 | 0.36 | 21.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rijo bearers went from 894 to 1,089 (+21.8% change). The surname moved up 3,091 positions in the national ranking, going from #27,081 to #23,990.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Rijo
FAQ
Rijo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rijo?
Name Census estimates that about 1,249 living Americans carry the surname Rijo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 274,423 residents.
How common is Rijo?
Rijo ranks #23,990 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.36 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,089 people with the surname Rijo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,249), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.36 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Rijo.
Has Rijo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rijo went from 894 recorded bearers to 1,089. That is an increase of 195 (+21.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #27,081 to #23,990.
What does the Census say about the background of Rijo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rijo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%). 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 Rijo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (968 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rijo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (88.9%), White (6.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%). 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 Rijo (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 Rijo mean?
A surname of Spanish origin meaning "small 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 Rijo (0.36 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 share the surname Rijo?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.