Explore the Family Name Ribeiro

The meaning of Ribeiro

Portuguese and Galician: from ribeiro ‘stream’, either a topographic name for someone who lived by a stream or a habitational name from any of several places called with this word. Compare Rebeiro and Rivero. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Jose, Manuel, Carlos, Fernando, Jorge, Americo, Mario, Armindo, Augusto, Julio, Luiz, Renato. Portuguese Joao, Joaquim, Paulo, Albano, Vasco, Afonso, Agostinho, Almir, Amadeu, Guilherme, Henrique, Lidio.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Ribeiro in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Ribeiro has seen a significant increase between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 6,395th in frequency but jumped to 5,206th in 2010, reflecting an 18.59% rise in rank. The actual count of people bearing this surname also grew by 36.84%, from 4,905 individuals in 2000 to 6,712 in 2010. Consequently, the proportion of Ribeiro per 100,000 people increased by 25.27%, indicating a growing prevalence of this surname in the United States.

20002010Change
Rank#6,395#5,20618.59%
Count4,9056,71236.84%
Proportion per 100k1.822.2825.27%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Ribeiro

Turning to the ethnicity associated with the Ribeiro surname, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows interesting shifts over the decade. In 2000, 73.46% of Ribeiros identified as White, and this percentage rose slightly to 81.03% in 2010. Conversely, the portion of Ribeiros identifying as two or more races dramatically decreased from 14.43% to 1.83%. The Hispanic representation among Ribeiros declined slightly as well, from 8.03% to 6.84%. However, there were significant increases among Asian/Pacific Islander and Black Ribeiros, rising by 78.32% and 198.02%, respectively. Lastly, the American Indian and Alaskan Native group saw a 75% increase, though they still represent a small fraction of the Ribeiro population.

20002010Change
White73.46%81.03%10.3%
Black2.53%7.54%198.02%
Hispanic8.03%6.84%-14.82%
Asian/Pacific Islander1.43%2.55%78.32%
Two or More Races14.43%1.83%-87.32%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.12%0.21%75%

Ribeiro ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Ribeiro is Spanish & Portuguese, which comprises 67.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Italian (6.4%) and British & Irish (6.4%). Additional ancestries include French & German, Indigenous American, Angolan & Congolese, Nigerian, and Eastern European.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Spanish & Portuguese67.2%
Italian6.4%
British & Irish6.4%
Other20.1%
Ribeiro

Possible origins of the surname Ribeiro

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Ribeiro have recent ancestry locations in Portugal and Brazil.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Madeira, Portugal80.80%
Azores, Portugal80.80%
Lisbon, Portugal78.00%
Aveiro District, Portugal77.70%
Porto District, Portugal77.40%

What Ribeiro haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Ribeiro is R-P311, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P311 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and R-L51, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Martins, Souza, Pereira, Alves, Sousa, Vieira, Nunes, Ferreira, Lopes, Almeida.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Ribeiro surname are: H, B2, H1. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

ribeiroPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

Your maternal lineage may be linked to the nomadic Tuareg of the Sahara

Though haplogroup H1 rarely reaches high frequencies beyond western Europe, over 60% of eastern Tuareg in Libya belong to haplogroup H1. The Tuareg call themselves the Imazghan, meaning “free people.” They are an isolated, semi-nomadic people who inhabit the West-Central Sahara and are known today for a distinctive dark blue turban worn by the men, and for their long history as gatekeepers of the desert.How did women carrying H1 make it all the way from western Europe to this isolated community? They likely migrated from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar into Morocco after the Last Ice Age, where they were assimilated into the Berbers of the Mediterranean coast. Then, about 5,000 years ago, the Sahara shifted from a period of relative habitable conditions to its dramatically arid desert environment. This shift may have caused migrations throughout the Sahara, prompting the ancient Tuaregs to meet and mingle with the Berbers, bringing H1 lineages into their population.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Ribeiro have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Ribeiro

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Ribeiro" Surname 38.7%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Ribeiro

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Ribeiro" Surname 32.0%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Ribeiro

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Ribeiro" Surname 17.9%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Ribeiro

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Ribeiro" Surname 12.8%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Ribeiro?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Ribeiro are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Spanish & Portuguese 56.3%

23andMe Users 57.2%