Explore the Family Name Riga

The meaning of Riga

1. Italian (southern): derivative of medieval Greek rēgas ‘king’ (see Rigas). 2. In some cases also an American shortened form (and Greek feminine form, denoting ‘the daughter, or wife of’) of Greek Rigas. Some characteristic forenames: Italian Carmelo, Carmine, Domenic, Emidio, Ennio.

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

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

Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Riga experienced a slight increase in popularity from 2000 to 2010, moving up in rank from 40,761 to 40,082, an increase of 1.67%. The count of individuals with this surname also increased by 8.32%, from 505 in 2000 to 547 in 2010. Interestingly, the proportion per 100k remained constant at 0.19.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#40,761	#40,082	1.67%
Count	505	547	8.32%
Proportion per 100k	0.19	0.19	0%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Riga

The Decennial U.S. Census also provides insight into the ethnic identity associated with the surname Riga. In 2000, the majority identified as White (93.07%), followed by Hispanic (2.97%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.58%) and those of two or more races (0.99%). By 2010, there were some shifts within these percentages. While White still represented the majority at 93.78%, the percentage identifying as Hispanic declined to 2.38% while those of two or more races increased to 1.46%. Notably, Black representation appeared for the first time in the 2010 census, constituting 1.10% of the total, while the Asian/Pacific Islander category dropped to 0%. There was no representation from the American Indian and Alaskan Native group in either census year.

	2000	2010	Change
White	93.07%	93.78%	0.76%
Hispanic	2.97%	2.38%	-19.87%
Two or More Races	0.99%	1.46%	47.47%
Black	0%	1.1%	0%
Asian/Pacific Islander	1.58%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%