Fun Facts About the Name Rigo
- More than 1 thousand babies named Rigo: U.S. records list 1,830 babies given the name Rigo from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Rigo Mean?
Rigo works mainly as a shortened form of longer names, so its meaning comes from the name it stands for. In Spanish and Portuguese it is a familiar form of Rodrigo, which continues the Germanic Hrōþirīks, a compound of hrōþi ("fame") and rīks ("ruler") - literally "famous ruler." The same nickname shortens Rigoberto, from the Germanic Ricbert, built from rīks ("ruler") and berht ("bright"), meaning "bright ruler." Where Rigo stands alone, it keeps whichever sense belongs to the full name behind it.
Rigo Name History & Origins
The Germanic names behind Rigo came into Iberia with the Visigoths, who ruled the peninsula from the fifth to the eighth century. One of them, Hrōþirīks, survived in Spanish and Portuguese as Rodrigo, a name common among medieval nobles and churchmen; the Castilian knight Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, called El Cid, is the best-known medieval bearer. Speakers of both languages formed shorter, affectionate versions of Rodrigo - the Portuguese Rui and the Spanish Ruy among them - and Rigo comes from the same habit of clipping the name down.
The Spanish Rigoberto supplies the nickname from another direction. It continues the Germanic Ricbert, recorded in France as the name of Saint Rigobert, an eighth-century archbishop of Reims. In Spanish-speaking countries Rigo is used both as a short form of Rigoberto and, on its own, as a given name; the Mexican cumbia singer Rigo Tovar, born Rigoberto Tovar García, used the short form professionally.
Look-alike words have their own histories. Hungarian rigó means "thrush" and appears in the surname Rigó; that word is unrelated to the Spanish and Portuguese nickname.
How Popular is the Name Rigo?
Rigo has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2007. Its best rank was #1,723 in 1990.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,925 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 2024 | #3,862 | 29 | 0.0017% |
| 2023 | #4,849 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2022 | #3,518 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 2021 | #3,405 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 2020 | #3,895 | 27 | 0.0016% |
| 2019 | #3,779 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 2018 | #2,697 | 46 | 0.0025% |
| 2017 | #5,257 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2016 | #3,964 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 2015 | #3,135 | 37 | 0.0019% |
| 2014 | #2,880 | 41 | 0.0021% |
| 2013 | #3,392 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 2012 | #3,864 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 2011 | #2,659 | 46 | 0.0024% |
| 2010 | #2,860 | 42 | 0.0022% |
| 2009 | #2,160 | 63 | 0.0032% |
| 2008 | #2,204 | 61 | 0.0030% |
| 2007 | #2,134 | 64 | 0.0031% |
| 2006 | #2,143 | 61 | 0.0030% |
| 2005 | #2,077 | 60 | 0.0030% |
| 2004 | #2,445 | 46 | 0.0023% |
| 2003 | #2,199 | 50 | 0.0025% |
| 2002 | #2,591 | 38 | 0.0020% |
| 2001 | #2,417 | 41 | 0.0021% |
| 2000 | #1,959 | 53 | 0.0027% |
| 1999 | #2,191 | 43 | 0.0022% |
| 1998 | #2,263 | 40 | 0.0021% |
| 1997 | #1,927 | 48 | 0.0025% |
| 1996 | #2,423 | 33 | 0.0017% |
| 1995 | #1,908 | 45 | 0.0024% |
| 1994 | #2,073 | 40 | 0.0021% |
| 1993 | #2,249 | 35 | 0.0018% |
| 1992 | #2,163 | 36 | 0.0018% |
| 1991 | #2,006 | 38 | 0.0019% |
| 1990 | #1,723 | 47 | 0.0023% |
| 1989 | #2,871 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 1988 | #1,943 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 1987 | #2,203 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 1986 | #2,046 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 1985 | #2,684 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1984 | #1,923 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 1983 | #2,395 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1982 | #2,403 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1981 | #2,188 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 1980 | #2,429 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1979 | #2,355 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1978 | #2,641 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1977 | #4,092 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1976 | #3,436 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1975 | #5,326 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1974 | #5,107 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1972 | #5,583 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1971 | #5,500 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1970 | #3,029 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1969 | #4,893 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1968 | #4,044 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1965 | #4,326 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1962 | #4,511 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1959 | #3,909 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1956 | #3,863 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Explore More Lists with Name Rigo
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with R
Unique Short Boy Names That Start with R
How the Name Rigo Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are a law unto itself. Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You are tolerant and like to help humanity. You are very active. You are generally warmhearted and gives freely of your time, energy, and sympathetic understanding. You have tolerance and acceptance of the frailties of others. Universal and humanitarian in outlook. This is very compassionate name. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Rigo's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Rigo's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.