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

Reighard, 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 Reighard surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Reighard in America

Reighard is the 22689th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Reighard surname appeared 1,130 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 Reighard.

We can also compare 2010 data for Reighard 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 Reighard

The surname Reighard has its origins in Germany, emerging around the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old High German words "rigan" meaning "to raise" and "hart" meaning "hard" or "brave." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who was a strict disciplinarian or a courageous individual.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Bavarian town of Regensburg, where a Johannes Reighard was mentioned in a church register from 1587. The spelling variations at the time included Reighart, Reickhert, and Reichert.

In the late 17th century, a notable figure named Hans Reighard (1645-1712) was a skilled woodcarver and sculptor based in the city of Nuremberg. His intricate works adorned various churches and buildings throughout the region.

The name Reighard also appears in several historical documents from the Palatinate region of Germany. For instance, a Michael Reighard was listed as a landowner in the village of Kirchheimbolanden in 1732.

As German immigrants began to settle in North America during the 18th and 19th centuries, the surname Reighard found its way across the Atlantic. One of the earliest arrivals was Johann Peter Reighard, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1749 aboard the ship "St. Andrew."

Another notable individual with this surname was Johann Adam Reighard (1773-1855), a German-American farmer and politician who served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate from 1833 to 1836.

In the late 19th century, a man named Jacob Reighard (1856-1924) made significant contributions to the study of ichthyology, publishing numerous papers on fish anatomy and taxonomy. He was a professor at the University of Michigan and later served as the director of the Biological Station for Research in Inland Waters.

While the surname Reighard is not among the most common in the world today, it has left its mark on history through the achievements of individuals who carried this name over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Reighard

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

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 Reighard 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 Reighard 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 Reighard was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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