Rioja History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Spain

The noble Spanish surname Rioja, is of toponymic origin, deriving from a place name where the original bearer resided or held land. The surname Rioja thus means "one who hailed from La Rioja."The region of La Rioja takes its name from the river Oja which flows through it. Over time, the Spanish word "rio," or "river," became fused with the name of the river, resulting in Rioja.

Early Origins of the Rioja family

The surname Rioja was first found in the region of La Rioja, in Northern Castile.

Early History of the Rioja family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rioja research. Another 117 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1583, 1659 and 1690 are included under the topic Early Rioja History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rioja Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Riojas, Riojana and others.

Early Notables of the Rioja family

Prominent among bearers of the Rioja family name at this time was

Domingo de la Rioja, a distinguished Spanish sculptor in the seventeenth century

Rioja migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Rioja Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Bartolome De Rioja, who landed in New Spain in 1834 1
Francisco De Rioja, who arrived in New Granada in 1849 1
Luis De Rioja, who landed in Florida in 1863 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Rioja (post 1700) +

Amalia S. Rioja, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1996, 2000 (alternate), 2008 2

Citations +

Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html