Find out how popular the last name Reigel is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Reigel.

Reigel, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Reigel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Reigel in America

Reigel is the 23675th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Reigel surname appeared 1,070 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Reigel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Reigel to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Reigel

The surname Reigel is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated from the German word "Riegel," which means "latch" or "bolt." This suggests that the name may have been associated with locksmiths or those involved in the production of locks and latches.

In the early 15th century, the name Reigel can be found in various records and manuscripts from regions such as Bavaria and Saxony. One notable mention is in the Nuremberg Chronicles, a renowned illustrated world history book published in 1493, where a certain Hans Reigel is listed among the citizens of Nuremberg.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Reigel dates back to 1428, when a man named Johannes Reigel was born in the town of Rotenburg an der Fulda, in what is now Hesse, Germany. Another early bearer of the name was Michael Reigel, who was born in Heidelberg in 1501 and later became a prominent scholar and theologian.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Reigel spread across various parts of Germany, with some variations in spelling such as Reigele, Reigle, and Reigler. One notable figure from this period was Johann Georg Reigel (1634-1708), a German composer and organist who was renowned for his contributions to sacred music.

In the 18th century, the Reigel surname gained prominence in the region of Palatinate, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire. Here, the name was sometimes associated with the village of Reigelsberg, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname.

Among the notable bearers of the Reigel name in the 19th century was Friedrich Reigel (1810-1888), a German historian and author who wrote extensively on the history of the Palatinate region. Another influential figure was Karl Reigel (1843-1920), a German entrepreneur and industrialist who founded the Reigel Brewing Company, which became one of the largest breweries in Bavaria.

Other prominent individuals with the surname Reigel include Hans Reigel (1891-1976), a German mathematician and professor at the University of Göttingen, and Gerhard Reigel (1919-2002), a German-born American architect who designed several notable buildings in New York City.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Reigel

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Reigel.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Reigel was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Reigel has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Reigel was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Reigel, please contact us.

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