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At a Glance: Name: Rio – Meaning: river – Origin: Spanish/Portuguese – Gender: Neutral – Pronunciation: REE-oh
Rio is a short, gender-neutral name that means "river," rooted in Spanish and Portuguese, and it's pronounced REE-oh. It has a clean, modern feel with a nod to nature and travel, without much embellishment beyond that. If you want a name that says plainly what it means, Rio does exactly that.
Meaning & Origin of Rio
Meaning: River.
Origin: Spanish/Portuguese.
Source: Wiktionary, Wikipedia.
How to Pronounce Rio
Phonetic: REE-oh IPA: /ˈriːoʊ/
Popularity of Rio
Rio's highest point in Social Security Administration records going back to 1920 came in 2024, when it ranked #516 with 591 babies given the name — its peak year on record so far.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1920–2024.
Make Rio Name Art
Free printable nursery art for Rio, pre-loaded below — pick a layout, palette, and font, then download a print-ready PNG.
Names With a Similar Story
Derived from shared style, era, and origin data (or, for names we have no style data for, a similar Social Security popularity trajectory) — not a hand-picked list.
FAQ
What does the name Rio mean?
River. (Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Rio)
How do you pronounce Rio?
Rio is pronounced REE-oh (IPA: /ˈriːoʊ/).
Is Rio a popular name right now?
Rio is at its highest recorded popularity right now, ranked #516 in 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1920–2024.)
📊 How popular is Rio? See the full popularity history, trend data, and ranking since 1880 with our free Baby Name Popularity Checker.
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