Rio: meaning and UK use

What does Rio mean?

Rio can come from the Spanish or Portuguese word for river. There is also a separate Japanese name with the same Roman spelling, which needs its own character-based interpretation.

Language or name family covered

Spanish or Portuguese word; other entry exists

Meaning or derivation

River in Spanish or Portuguese

Our browsing group

unisex; modern, international

Browsing groups describe our editorial shortlist, not rules about who may use a name. A name can cross languages and genders.

Sources for this entry — reviewed 2026-10-07:

• Behind the Name — Rio

Pronunciation and related forms

We have not verified a pronunciation for this entry. Ask a speaker of the intended language rather than relying on an English spelling alone.

No variants or nicknames have been verified for this entry. A family nickname does not need to be an established dictionary form.

How popular is Rio?

In 2025, 305 baby boys in England and Wales were registered as Rio, making it the 166th most popular boys’ name. That is the same position as in 2024. It is used for both sexes: 23 girls were also given the name (1362nd for girls). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it ranked 267th, so it has climbed 101 places in a decade. Its best year in the ONS series was 2008, at 155th. These figures cover England and Wales, not the whole UK.

2025 rank (boys)

166th

2025 registrations

305

Best rank in this series

155th (2008)

Every year from 1996 to 2025

Rio: rank and number of baby boys by year (ONS)

Year	Rank	Babies
2025	166	305
2024	166	302
2023	157	338
2022	164	311
2021	180	293
2020	222	222
2019	222	230
2018	227	227
2017	241	224
2016	246	217
2015	267	192
2014	213	266
2013	222	234
2012	194	286
2011	160	359
2010	189	281
2009	157	352
2008	155	355
2007	162	326
2006	161	301
2005	156	299
2004	170	243
2003	171	228
2002	179	203
2001	297	92
2000	409	53
1999	400	56
1998	470	42
1997	629	26
1996	1337	9

The sum of published counts in this 1996–2025 boys series is 6,872. This is a lower bound where years are suppressed, not the number of living people with the name. A best rank is the best position within this series; it does not establish an all-time record.

Sources: ONS release, 2025; girls' dataset; boys' dataset. Our 20 top-ten positions were checked against Table 1 in the 2025 workbooks. The history chart and spelling comparisons come from the separate ONS 1996–2025 workbook, checked 7 October 2026. Spelling variants are separate entries. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate statistics.

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Names to compare with Rio

These suggestions share a browsing group and one or more of our style tags or source-context labels. They are taste comparisons, not etymological relatives or a popularity ranking.

• Quinnmodern, international · From the surname Ó Cuinn
• Remymodern, international · An English form of Rémy
• Reninternational, modern · Lotus or love with particular characters
• Amaniinternational · Wishes
• Blakemodern · From words for black or pale
• Edenmodern · Possibly delight or a plain

Read the UK naming guide for the difference between inspiration lists and official statistics, or return to the full name finder.

Registering or changing the name

Once you decide on Rio, confirm the registration process for your UK nation with the register office. If you later want to change a registered name, the route depends on the circumstances and may require consent from people with parental responsibility.

Start with GOV.UK birth registration or GOV.UK guidance on changing a child’s name. Our registration guide and child name-change guide explain where to find the relevant official process.