Rio
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- REE-oh
- Origin
- Spanish
- UK rank, 2025
- #167 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #532 for boys
Rio is a boys' name of Spanish origin, meaning “river”. In 2025 it ranked 167th for boys in the UK (356 babies) and 532nd for boys in the US (563 babies).
What does Rio mean?
Spanish: Spanish and Portuguese word
“river”
Spanish and Portuguese for river, as in the Brazilian city Rio de Janeiro, the river of January.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Rio a girl's or a boy's name?
Rio is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 23 girls and 356 boys in the UK and 105 girls and 563 boys in the US.
How popular is Rio in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 167th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 356 about 1 in 840 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising up 46% in five years
- Same name in a class
- 1.6% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 356 boys in the UK were named Rio, making it the 167th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 224th. Its busiest year was 2023, with 409 boys. 23 girls were also named Rio in 2025 (1,416th for girls).
Half of all the boys named Rio in the UK since 1996 were born between 2007 and 2020, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 1996, 81% of the babies named Rio in the UK were girls. By 2025 it was 6%, with more boys than girls since 1998.
Among boys in 2025, it was 166th in England and Wales, 137th in Scotland and 126th in Northern Ireland.
Rio in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 356 | #167 |
| 2024 | 364 | #161 |
| 2023 | 409 | #148 |
| 2022 | 365 | #160 |
| 2021 | 332 | #182 |
| 2020 | 252 | #224 |
| 2019 | 260 | #224 |
| 2018 | 259 | #224 |
| 2017 | 251 | #244 |
| 2016 | 238 | #258 |
| 2015 | 213 | #269 |
| 2014 | 301 | #215 |
| 2013 | 262 | #226 |
| 2012 | 330 | #199 |
| 2011 | 395 | #162 |
| 2010 | 322 | #191 |
| 2009 | 383 | #161 |
| 2008 | 386 | #162 |
| 2007 | 358 | #164 |
| 2006 | 334 | #166 |
| 2005 | 323 | #162 |
| 2004 | 258 | #178 |
| 2003 | 246 | #178 |
| 2002 | 209 | #191 |
| 2001 | 95 | #321 |
| 2000 | 53 | #450 |
| 1999 | 58 | #427 |
| 1998 | 43 | #509 |
| 1997 | 26 | #690 |
| 1996 | 10 | #1,290 |
How popular is Rio in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 532nd among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 563 about 1 in 3,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising fast up 149% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 563 boys in the US were named Rio, making it the 532nd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 774th. Its busiest year was 2024, with 593 boys. It first appears in the records in 1920. 105 girls were also named Rio in 2025 (1,872nd for girls).
Half of all the boys named Rio in the US since 1880 were born between 2010 and 2023, the years shaded on the chart below.
Girls were 50% of the babies named Rio in the US in 1983, and 16% in 2025.
Rio in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 563 | #532 |
| 2024 | 593 | #517 |
| 2023 | 514 | #571 |
| 2022 | 530 | #560 |
| 2021 | 403 | #669 |
| 2020 | 305 | #774 |
| 2019 | 193 | #1,057 |
| 2018 | 172 | #1,122 |
| 2017 | 132 | #1,348 |
| 2016 | 136 | #1,320 |
| 2015 | 103 | #1,567 |
| 2014 | 104 | #1,536 |
| 2013 | 97 | #1,588 |
| 2012 | 100 | #1,575 |
| 2011 | 99 | #1,573 |
| 2010 | 110 | #1,481 |
| 2009 | 77 | #1,872 |
| 2008 | 78 | #1,861 |
| 2007 | 80 | #1,811 |
| 2006 | 67 | #1,993 |
| 2005 | 59 | #2,077 |
| 2004 | 64 | #1,907 |
| 2003 | 49 | #2,202 |
| 2002 | 52 | #2,064 |
| 2001 | 48 | #2,147 |
| 2000 | 62 | #1,764 |
| 1999 | 40 | #2,260 |
| 1998 | 50 | #1,928 |
| 1997 | 42 | #2,093 |
| 1996 | 45 | #1,954 |
| 1995 | 46 | #1,859 |
| 1994 | 39 | #2,077 |
| 1993 | 38 | #2,086 |
| 1992 | 34 | #2,209 |
| 1991 | 42 | #1,861 |
| 1990 | 35 | #2,081 |
| 1989 | 30 | #2,239 |
| 1988 | 30 | #2,085 |
| 1987 | 23 | #2,396 |
| 1986 | 19 | #2,681 |
| 1985 | 19 | #2,596 |
| 1984 | 22 | #2,291 |
| 1983 | 16 | #2,786 |
| 1982 | 7 | #5,001 |
| 1981 | 13 | #3,219 |
| 1980 | 12 | #3,429 |
| 1979 | 10 | #3,808 |
| 1978 | 15 | #2,798 |
| 1977 | 11 | #3,384 |
| 1976 | 8 | #4,010 |
| 1975 | 13 | #2,900 |
| 1974 | 13 | #2,797 |
| 1973 | 8 | #3,692 |
| 1972 | 6 | #4,438 |
| 1971 | 8 | #3,656 |
| 1970 | 5 | #4,722 |
| 1969 | 10 | #2,860 |
| 1968 | 6 | #3,672 |
| 1967 | 0 | – |
| 1966 | 0 | – |
| 1965 | 0 | – |
| 1964 | 0 | – |
| 1963 | 0 | – |
| 1962 | 0 | – |
| 1961 | 0 | – |
| 1960 | 0 | – |
| 1959 | 5 | #3,986 |
| 1958 | 0 | – |
| 1957 | 0 | – |
| 1956 | 5 | #3,940 |
| 1955 | 0 | – |
| 1954 | 0 | – |
| 1953 | 0 | – |
| 1952 | 0 | – |
| 1951 | 0 | – |
| 1950 | 0 | – |
| 1949 | 0 | – |
| 1948 | 0 | – |
| 1947 | 0 | – |
| 1946 | 0 | – |
| 1945 | 0 | – |
| 1944 | 0 | – |
| 1943 | 0 | – |
| 1942 | 0 | – |
| 1941 | 0 | – |
| 1940 | 0 | – |
| 1939 | 0 | – |
| 1938 | 0 | – |
| 1937 | 0 | – |
| 1936 | 0 | – |
| 1935 | 0 | – |
| 1934 | 5 | #3,677 |
| 1933 | 0 | – |
| 1932 | 0 | – |
| 1931 | 0 | – |
| 1930 | 0 | – |
| 1929 | 0 | – |
| 1928 | 0 | – |
| 1927 | 0 | – |
| 1926 | 0 | – |
| 1925 | 0 | – |
| 1924 | 5 | #4,345 |
| 1923 | 0 | – |
| 1922 | 0 | – |
| 1921 | 0 | – |
| 1920 | 5 | #4,284 |
Names like Rio
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Luca, Nico, Enzo, Remy, Cooper, Cruz, Jenson, River, Idris, Romeo, Zion, Marley
Other spellings of Rio
More Spanish names
Santiago, Lola, Xavier, Amaya, Alaia, Diego, Elian, Jesus, Ximena, Javier, Esmeralda, Amayah, Reina, Cesar, Sierra, Paloma
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Rio: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/rio, updated 20 October 2026.