Fun Facts About the Name Rio
- More than 7 thousand babies named Rio: U.S. records list 7,807 babies given the name Rio from 1880 through 2025. Of these, 2,282 girls received the name Rio - about 1 girl for every 2 boys.
What Does the Name Rio Mean?
Rio means "river" in Spanish and Portuguese. The word goes back to Latin rivus, which first meant a brook or small channel rather than a major river; classical Latin used flumen for a large river, and rivus for a stream. In Spanish the word became río and in Portuguese rio, and in both languages it widened to mean a river of any size. Italian kept the narrower old sense: rio there usually means a small stream or canal, while fiume (from Latin flumen) is the ordinary word for a river. French ru, a small brook, comes from the same Latin source.
Rio is used as a given name in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries, where Río and Rio also exist as surnames. In English-speaking countries the name is understood in the same way, as the Romance word for "river," and it is also familiar from place names such as the Rio Grande and Rio de Janeiro.
Rio is separately a Japanese given name, usually given to girls, written either in hiragana as りお or with kanji chosen for their readings. Because the characters are picked individually, the name has no fixed meaning; common choices include 里 (village) or 莉 (jasmine) for the ri sound and 央 (center) or 緒 (cord, thread) for the o sound, so the sense of the written name depends on the combination a family chooses.
Rio Name History & Origins
Latin rivus ("brook, channel") is the source of river words in several Romance languages and the direct ancestor of Spanish río and Portuguese rio. Medieval Iberian records use río and rio as common nouns, as elements in place names, and in bynames; Río survives as a Spanish surname. Rio or Río also appears as a given name in Spain, Portugal, and Latin America, where it has never been as common as traditional saints' names.
In English-speaking countries, Rio is a modern given name rather than an inherited English form, and it is used for both boys and girls. Its written form matches the Spanish and Portuguese word, which English speakers also know from place names such as the Rio Grande and Rio de Janeiro. The name is familiar from the Duran Duran single "Rio" (1982) and from the animated film Rio (2011), which is set in the Brazilian city; these are well-known uses of the word and name, not their origin.
In Japan, Rio belongs to the large group of given names written in hiragana or in kanji selected for their sound and meaning. Japanese naming of this kind is not tied to a single inherited form: the same pronunciation can correspond to many different written names, and the characters are chosen by the family rather than fixed by tradition.
How Popular is the Name Rio?
Rio recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2024. Its best rank was #516 in 2024.
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 | #1,877 | 105 | 0.0065% |
| 2024 | #1,813 | 111 | 0.0069% |
| 2023 | #1,886 | 106 | 0.0066% |
| 2022 | #1,751 | 119 | 0.0073% |
| 2021 | #1,679 | 124 | 0.0076% |
| 2020 | #2,046 | 91 | 0.0056% |
| 2019 | #1,849 | 110 | 0.0066% |
| 2018 | #2,380 | 77 | 0.0045% |
| 2017 | #3,183 | 51 | 0.0030% |
| 2016 | #2,820 | 61 | 0.0034% |
| 2015 | #3,974 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 2014 | #3,533 | 45 | 0.0025% |
| 2013 | #3,630 | 43 | 0.0025% |
| 2012 | #3,254 | 51 | 0.0029% |
| 2011 | #3,041 | 56 | 0.0032% |
| 2010 | #2,971 | 58 | 0.0033% |
| 2009 | #2,700 | 68 | 0.0037% |
| 2008 | #2,988 | 59 | 0.0031% |
| 2007 | #3,205 | 54 | 0.0028% |
| 2006 | #3,359 | 49 | 0.0026% |
| 2005 | #3,310 | 47 | 0.0025% |
| 2004 | #3,609 | 41 | 0.0022% |
| 2003 | #2,793 | 56 | 0.0031% |
| 2002 | #3,956 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 2001 | #3,303 | 42 | 0.0023% |
| 2000 | #3,503 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 1999 | #3,298 | 39 | 0.0022% |
| 1998 | #2,957 | 44 | 0.0025% |
| 1997 | #2,864 | 43 | 0.0025% |
| 1996 | #2,788 | 44 | 0.0025% |
| 1995 | #2,721 | 45 | 0.0026% |
| 1994 | #3,209 | 36 | 0.0020% |
| 1993 | #2,564 | 49 | 0.0027% |
| 1992 | #2,764 | 44 | 0.0024% |
| 1991 | #2,611 | 47 | 0.0025% |
| 1990 | #3,693 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 1989 | #4,479 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1988 | #6,175 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1987 | #5,542 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1986 | #3,856 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 1985 | #3,813 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 1984 | #5,462 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1983 | #4,637 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1930 | #3,607 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #532 | 563 | 0.0330% |
| 2024 | #516 | 591 | 0.0345% |
| 2023 | #570 | 514 | 0.0301% |
| 2022 | #560 | 530 | 0.0304% |
| 2021 | #673 | 401 | 0.0229% |
| 2020 | #774 | 305 | 0.0177% |
| 2019 | #1,061 | 193 | 0.0108% |
| 2018 | #1,125 | 172 | 0.0095% |
| 2017 | #1,357 | 132 | 0.0071% |
| 2016 | #1,327 | 135 | 0.0071% |
| 2015 | #1,577 | 103 | 0.0054% |
| 2014 | #1,547 | 104 | 0.0054% |
| 2013 | #1,599 | 97 | 0.0051% |
| 2012 | #1,585 | 100 | 0.0053% |
| 2011 | #1,576 | 99 | 0.0052% |
| 2010 | #1,490 | 110 | 0.0057% |
| 2009 | #1,883 | 77 | 0.0039% |
| 2008 | #1,871 | 78 | 0.0038% |
| 2007 | #1,826 | 80 | 0.0039% |
| 2006 | #2,005 | 67 | 0.0033% |
| 2005 | #2,107 | 59 | 0.0030% |
| 2004 | #1,928 | 64 | 0.0032% |
| 2003 | #2,226 | 49 | 0.0025% |
| 2002 | #2,086 | 52 | 0.0027% |
| 2001 | #2,178 | 48 | 0.0025% |
| 2000 | #1,778 | 62 | 0.0032% |
| 1999 | #2,295 | 40 | 0.0021% |
| 1998 | #1,951 | 50 | 0.0026% |
| 1997 | #2,121 | 42 | 0.0022% |
| 1996 | #1,980 | 45 | 0.0024% |
| 1995 | #1,883 | 46 | 0.0024% |
| 1994 | #2,114 | 39 | 0.0020% |
| 1993 | #2,118 | 38 | 0.0019% |
| 1992 | #2,247 | 34 | 0.0017% |
| 1991 | #1,888 | 42 | 0.0021% |
| 1990 | #2,118 | 35 | 0.0017% |
| 1989 | #2,284 | 30 | 0.0015% |
| 1988 | #2,126 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 1987 | #2,451 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 1986 | #2,763 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1985 | #2,685 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1984 | #2,347 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1983 | #2,888 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1982 | #5,494 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1981 | #3,375 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1980 | #3,569 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1979 | #4,017 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1978 | #2,898 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1977 | #3,555 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1976 | #4,335 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1975 | #3,044 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1974 | #2,912 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1973 | #3,980 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1972 | #4,861 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1971 | #3,888 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1970 | #5,293 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1969 | #3,024 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1968 | #4,046 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1959 | #4,460 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1956 | #4,358 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1934 | #4,116 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1924 | #4,837 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1920 | #4,840 | 5 | 0.0005% |
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 Rio
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with R
Short Boy Names That Start with R
How the Name Rio 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.
You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Rio's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Rio's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.