I like how it sounds, but i don’t know if it would be weird because i don’t have any connection to the culture. tia!
I don’t think of [name_u]Rio[/name_u] as a Hispanic name. I know it means river in Spanish but my first association is that it’s a place name. I know a family (all very non-Hispanic white) with a daughter [name_u]Rio[/name_u] and as far as I know nobody has ever voiced any concerns with it. That being said, I am also not Hispanic so I cannot speak for them.
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I would say yes because [name_u]Rio[/name_u] is not an exclusively Spanish name, but also a Japanese (although feminine) one. Because of its simple sound and shortness I’d consider it on trend and multicultural, and wouldn’t find it odd on a non-Hispanic child.
Rio can be a nickname for plenty of non-Hispanic names, so it doesn’t strike me as odd.
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Hmm as a Hispanic person there’s no real issue in using it, though I would personally assume anyone with the name is either Hispanic or Japanese
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Latino here~
I’d think it’d be kinda odd since it’s a word in Spanish along with being a name but it’s more multicultural that most Spanish names, so I think it’d be a bit odd but not too surprised by it either, at least as a full name (as a nn I think it’d be fine since it can go into a lot of names)
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It happens to be a word in Spanish, yes, but [name_u]Rio[/name_u] also has ties to plenty of cultures! I think [name_u]Rio[/name_u] could be a lovely way to honor Hispanic or Latin heritage, but I wouldn’t automatically assume it did. The only [name_u]Rio[/name_u] I know (she’s about 21 now) is white!
[name_u]Rio[/name_u] means river in Spanish and Portuguese. I would say that if you have no connection to those languagues and you don’t live in a Spanish-speaking or Portuguese-speaking country (or Japanese-speaking country as a previous poster referenced), I advice you to choose another name or a full name for [name_u]Rio[/name_u].
I would also like to clarify that because someone is white, it doesn’t mean they don’t have a Portuguese, Spanish or [name_u]South[/name_u] American heritage… 
Portugal and Spain are european countries. [name_m]Even[/name_m] in [name_u]South[/name_u] [name_u]America[/name_u], there are many, many white citizens in [name_u]Brazil[/name_u], Venezuela, [name_f]Colombia[/name_f], [name_f]Argentina[/name_f], [name_u]Peru[/name_u], [name_f]Bolivia[/name_f], etc.
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i’m latino, and i have to say that it would strike me as a little odd and it would rub me the wrong way. that said, i think that may just be a me thing, and i don’t think it’s 100% off limits. (and as other posters have said, it’s also japanese and portuguese, so if you are part of either of those cultures, it’s definitely okay to use rio).
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Yes. Spanish culture is European culture which is an open culture; so you’re definitely not stepping on anyones toes using it.
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I agree spanish like all (west-) european cultures is open so it shouldn’t be an issue.
This is off topic but I’m really confused why people point out they know white people with that name as if that would answer the question? People of spanish (and portugese) heritage are white. Where I live only very few people of certain political beliefs don’t accept south europeans as white and I really hope this isn’t the case on nameberry! I don’t want to attack anyone but this is weird.
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As a WHITE HISPANIC PERSON 
(I’m Jewish too and yes there are Hispanic Jews) I think it depends on where you live, although what other users have mentioned about it rubbing them the wrong way are 
valid. When you have a Spanish last name people automatically make assumptions about you and show there biases. To choose a Spanish first name with no connection is…. A choice. No judgment at all just trying to be honest 
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this is 100% true, but latino culture is not european culture (unless you count how spanish colonization has impacted those cultures). spanish people are white, but latinos aren’t, and latinos living in mostly white countries are discriminated against, which is why a white person named rio would rub me the wrong way.
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Rio is also a word in Italian (especially Venetian and Veneto dialect) meaning small river or canal. It is also a Portoguese word or name and a Japanese name. And an Icelandic name too. Also a Manx name. I think it could work, but I am not Hispanic myself so cannot speak.
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hi! from latin america here. rio is my fav name! 
just like leo, which is also very trendy now, i think it strikes as multicultural, and bc of that i don’t think it’d be an issue. plus, there’re many latin names that started being on trend now, so i don’t see why it should be an issue with rio. bc then many names that are on trend now, like felix, hugo, lucas, should cause an issue as well, lol. i’d assume you have some sort of connection to either portuguese, brazilian, spanish, italian or latino culture, tho, but i don’t think that should stop you from using it! rio is a lovely lovely name 
could also be a nn for river!
also, like @Estrela & @Lenisar said, i too want to clarify that you can be latino and white at the same time. i know i am, lol. if you are latino that doesn’t make you automatically non-white, it’s not the same. latino culture is so so big that it’s wrong to make generalizations. i was born in latin america and been living here my whole life, but i have european heritage, so i look, and i am, almost 100% white, but im still latina. so, ofc, i don’t get discriminated for my skin color, but yes bc of my culture, which is mostly when people assume things or make generalizations. and that happens a lot in movies and series
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You’re absolutely allowed your opinion and feelings, still, Spanish is spoken in so many parts of the world and especially by people that love sharing their cultures (which is a big thing in Latin American countries as well, not just Europe), it’s not really a language any one culture/people has the right to gate-keep.
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I don’t want to get into a political discussion, but lots of Latinos are white (as in, of European descent). Look at the demographic statistics for countries like Brazil, Argentina, Cuba and Uruguay for example. Those people might not be considered “white” in the USA because of Anglo-American conceptions of whiteness (which have historically framed Mediterranean European people as being non-white), but they certainly regard themselves as being white.
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obligatory - rio is not a solely hispanic name???
and, it’s just a word, not anything cultural. just, literally like all the rivers in the usa.
what i havent seen mentioned is- in romance languages, words are gendered. rio, ending in o, is a masculine word. it is also a verb, literally (i) laugh.
so, personally, in a country rio is native to, i’d find it a little weird - now a little less since i’ve had time to get used to it some, but still, quite not common place there. and definitely not for a girl.
in an english speaking country, though, it’s whatever. it’s a neutral meaning, in a language with neutral ways of speech.
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Most people wouldnt care or even think about it is my guess. Some people may find it odd.
I’m from Spain, and here the name [name_u]Rio[/name_u] would stand out because it’s not used as a child name. There are only 229 men with the name [name_u]Rio[/name_u] and just 24 women. Men’s average age is 13, and women’s 4. I won’t think it’s cultural appropriation (only speaking about Spain, not LatAm because I don’t know the statistics in those countries)
A baby [name_u]Rio[/name_u] would make me think that their parents are fans of [name_m]Money[/name_m] Heist, the serie, because there’s a characters named [name_u]Rio[/name_u] (only a nickname).
It feels quite multicultural and trendy, alongside names like [name_u]Leo[/name_u], [name_m]Teo[/name_m], [name_u]Max[/name_u], [name_m]Hugo[/name_m], Bruno…
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