Reiss
Derived from an Arabic surname meaning "leader" or "prince".
Name Census estimates that about 260 living Americans carry the first name Reiss. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 75.7% of registrations being male. The average person named Reiss today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Reiss births was 2010 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Reiss. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
260
~ 1 in 1,318,286 Americans
Peak year
2010
15 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,749
Tracked since 1990
Gender
Gender distribution for Reiss
Reiss is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 263 total registrations, 199 (75.7%) were male and 64 (24.3%) were female.
Reiss as a male name
- Ranked #13,749 in 2024
- 5 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1999 (14 births)
Reiss as a female name
- Ranked #17,448 in 2019
- 5 female births in 2019
- Peak: 2011 (9 births)
Popularity
Reiss: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Reiss from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 101 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Reiss by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Reiss during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Reiss
The name Reiss is believed to have originated from the German language, derived from the word "reise," which means "journey" or "travel." It is thought to have emerged as a surname in the medieval period, likely referring to someone who was a traveler or merchant.
In its earliest recorded uses, the name Reiss appeared in various German-speaking regions, such as Bavaria and Saxony, as early as the 13th century. It was often spelled with variations like "Reiss," "Reisz," or "Reissig."
One of the earliest known references to the name Reiss can be found in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a merchant named Hans Reiss was mentioned in the year 1349. This suggests that the name was associated with traders and travelers during that time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Reiss. One of the most famous was Johann Reiss (1655-1736), a German composer and organist who was known for his contributions to the development of the organ and its music.
Another prominent figure was Jacob Reiss (1766-1828), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.
In the realm of literature, the name Reiss is associated with the German writer and poet Johann Peter Reiss (1795-1871), who was known for his romantic poems and his work as a librarian.
The name Reiss also gained recognition in the field of science with the German physicist and Nobel Prize winner Wilhelm Reiss (1838-1908), who made important discoveries in the study of electricity and electromagnetism.
Finally, one cannot overlook the German-American businessman and philanthropist Charles Reiss (1857-1942), who founded the Reiss Manufacturing Company and was known for his support of educational institutions and charitable organizations.
These examples illustrate the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of individuals who have borne the name Reiss throughout history, reflecting its origins as a name associated with travel, trade, and exploration.
People
Reiss + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Reiss as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Reiss: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Reiss?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 260 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Reiss going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,318,286 US residents.
Is Reiss a common name?
We classify Reiss as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 263 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Reiss most popular?
The single biggest year for Reiss was 2010, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Reiss is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Reiss a male name?
Yes, 75.7% of people registered as Reiss in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.