Riis
One meaning derived from Old Norse, "descending from powerful rulers".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Riis. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Riis today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Riis births was 1999 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Riis. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Riis. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1999
5 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2014 SSA rank
#13,633
Tracked since 1999
Popularity
Riis: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Riis from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Riis 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 Riis 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 Riis
The name Riis originates from the Old Norse language, which was spoken by the Vikings and other Scandinavian peoples during the Viking Age (793-1066 AD). It is derived from the Old Norse word "hrísi," meaning "brushwood" or "thicket."
In Old Norse literature and sagas, the name Riis is mentioned as a personal name, indicating its usage during that time period. It was likely given to individuals who lived near or in areas with dense vegetation or thickets.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Riis is found in the Landnámabók, an Icelandic book that details the settlement of Iceland by Norse settlers in the 9th and 10th centuries. The book mentions a settler named Riis who established a farm in Iceland.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Riis. One of the most famous was Jacob Riis (1849-1914), a Danish-American social reformer and photographer who documented the living conditions of the poor in New York City slums. His work helped bring about housing reforms and influenced the development of social welfare policies.
Another notable Riis was Johan Riis (1776-1847), a Norwegian-born actor and playwright who was one of the pioneers of Norwegian theater in the early 19th century. He authored several plays and helped establish a national theater tradition in Norway.
In the field of literature, Nansine Munthe Riis (1864-1948) was a Norwegian author and playwright known for her works exploring social issues and the lives of women in Norway during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In the realm of sports, Gunnar Riis (born 1965) is a former Danish professional cyclist who won the Tour de France in 1996 and was a prolific stage winner in the race throughout his career.
Finally, Arne Riis (1919-2011) was a Danish architect and furniture designer who made significant contributions to the Danish modern design movement in the mid-20th century, creating iconic furniture pieces that are still highly regarded today.
People
Riis + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Riis 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
Riis: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Riis?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Riis 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Riis a common name?
We classify Riis as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Riis most popular?
The single biggest year for Riis was 1999, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Riis is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Riis in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Riis a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Riis 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.
Is Riis still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Riis in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Riis can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Riis?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Riis, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.