5,642 Global RIBEIRO Family Members

RIBEIRO Family History

Recorded in many forms including the French Rive, Rives, Larive, Delarive, Rivelon, the Italian Riva, Rivani, Rivano, the Catalonion Ribe, Ribes and Riba, the Spanish Rivero, and the Portugese Rebeira, da Rebeiro, and Ribeiro, this is a locational or residential surname. It originates from the ancient Roman (Latin) word 'ripa' meaning a river bank or possibly a plateau by a river or from places of the same name. As a surname it originally denoted someone who lived at such a place. It is one of that group of early European surnames that were adopted from conspicuous features in the landscape, whether natural or man-made, which could provide easy identification in the small communities of the Middle Ages.