2000
#7,991
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,836
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.42
Rare Last name
Reiff
A toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "steep riverbank" or "protruding ledge" in German.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,938 Americans carry the last name Reiff. That puts it at #7,465 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,412 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Reiff surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
4.9K
1 in 69,412
Census rank
#7,465
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,306 bearers of the surname Reiff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7465th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Reiff, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Reiff
The surname "REIFF" is of German origin, with roots that can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the region of Rhineland-Palatinate, which was once part of the Holy Roman Empire.
The name "REIFF" is thought to be derived from the Old German word "rif," which means "reef" or "rocky ridge." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have lived near a prominent rocky formation or a ridge in the landscape.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "REIFF" can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Rheno-Mosellanus, a medieval collection of documents from the Rhineland region, dating back to the 12th century. Here, the name is spelled as "Rif" or "Riff."
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Johannes Reiff was mentioned in the records of the city of Mainz, which was a prominent center of ecclesiastical and secular power during the Middle Ages. Johannes Reiff was a respected scholar and cleric who lived from 1320 to 1385.
Another significant individual bearing the surname "REIFF" was Hans Reiff, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1480 to 1541. He was known for his intricate woodcuts and engravings depicting religious and mythological scenes.
During the 16th century, the name "REIFF" also appeared in the records of the Palatinate region, where a family of landowners and nobles held significant influence. One member of this family, Johann Reiff (1520-1582), was a prominent military leader and advisor to the Elector Palatine.
In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the name "REIFF" was Johann Friedrich Reiff (1720-1798), a German theologian and philosopher. He was a prominent figure in the Enlightenment movement and wrote extensively on topics such as natural theology and ethics.
Another significant individual with the surname "REIFF" was Carl Philipp Reiff (1813-1888), a German-American painter and lithographer. He was born in Ettlingen, Germany, but later immigrated to the United States, where he became known for his landscape paintings and lithographs depicting scenes of the American West.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reiff
Among Census respondents with the surname Reiff, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Reiff bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Reiff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.7% · 4,079
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 111
- Two or more races1.6% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 27
- Black or African American0.2% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Reiff
Reiff appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#8,010
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,130
+294 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Down 19 places
2020
#7,465
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,306
+176 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Up 545 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,991 | 3,836 | 1.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,010 | 4,130 | 1.40 | +294 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 19 places |
| 2020 | #7,465 | 4,306 | 1.44 | +176 bearers (+4.3%) | Up 545 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Reiff surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,010 | #7,465 | 6.8% |
| Count | 4,130 | 4,306 | 4.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.40 | 1.44 | 2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Reiff bearers went from 4,130 to 4,306 (+4.3% change). The surname moved up 545 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,010 to #7,465.
FAQ
Reiff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Reiff?
Name Census estimates that about 4,938 living Americans carry the surname Reiff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,412 residents.
How common is Reiff?
Reiff ranks #7,465 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,306 people with the surname Reiff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,938), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Reiff.
Has Reiff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Reiff went from 4,130 recorded bearers to 4,306. That is an increase of 176 (+4.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,010 to #7,465.
What does the Census say about the background of Reiff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Reiff, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Reiff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (4,079 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Reiff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.7%), Hispanic (2.6%), Two or More Races (1.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Reiff (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Reiff mean?
A toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "steep riverbank" or "protruding ledge" in German. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Reiff (1.44 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Reiff?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.