Rios History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished surname Rios is a proud sign of a rich and ancient ancestry. The original bearer of the name Rios, which is a local surname, once lived, held land, or was born in the beautiful region of Spain. In Spain, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules and during the late Middle Ages, names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread. Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. The Rios family originally lived near a river. The name was derived from the Spanish word “rio,” which meant “river.”

Early Origins of the Rios family

The surname Rios was first found in Asturias, an important Christian kingdom of medieval Spain.

Early History of the Rios family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rios research.

Rios Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Ríos, Rios, de Ríos, de los Ríos, de Rios, de los Rios, Río, Rio, del Río, del Rio and many more.

Early Notables of the Rios family (pre 1700)

Prominent among members of the family were eighteenth century Spanish writer Vicente de los Ríos; nineteenth century Spanish naturalist Andrés Manuel del Río; nineteenth century Mexican chemist and physician Leopoldo Río de la.

Rios Ranking

In the United States, the name Rios is the 392^nd most popular surname with an estimated 72,123 people with that name. [1] However, in South America, the name Rios is ranked the 58^thmost popular surname with an estimated 72 people with that name. [2]

 Rios migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were: 

Rios Settlers in United States in the 16th Century

• Francisco de los Ríos, who sailed to America in 1512
• Francisco DeLos Rios, who settled in America in 1512
• Hernando de los Ríos, who sailed to America in 1517
• Pedro de los Ríos, who sailed to America in 1526
• Sebastián de los Ríos, who sailed to Peru in 1534

Rios Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• Ramon Rios, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1803 [3]
• Andres De Rios, who landed in America in 1812 [3]
• Hernando DeLos Rios, who landed in America in 1817 [3]
• Francisco DeLos Rios, who landed in America in 1826 [3]
• Juan Rios, aged 30, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1831 [3

 Rios migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960’s many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. [4]

Rios Settlers in West Indies in the 16th Century

• Beatriz de Los Rios, who settled in Dominican Republic in 1579