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

Rhiel, 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 Rhiel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rhiel in America

Rhiel is the 147253rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rhiel surname appeared 112 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 Rhiel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rhiel 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 Rhiel

The surname RHIEL originated in Germany and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "rihe," meaning a line or row, likely referring to someone who lived on a street or row of houses.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the RHIEL surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. Here, the name is spelled as "Rihel," reflecting the linguistic evolution of the surname over time.

In the 14th century, the RHIEL name appeared in various legal documents and property records across various German states, such as Bavaria and Hesse. This suggests that the name had already spread to different regions by that time.

A notable figure bearing the RHIEL surname was Johannes Rhiel, a German mathematician and astronomer who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries (c. 1460-1520). He is known for his contributions to the study of planetary motion and for his work at the University of Leipzig.

Another individual of historical significance was Hans Rhiel (1535-1605), a German artist and engraver from Nuremberg. His woodcuts and engravings depicting religious and mythological scenes were highly regarded during the Renaissance period.

In the 17th century, the RHIEL surname can be found in various church records and baptismal registers across Germany. One notable figure from this time was Christoph Rhiel (1628-1699), a Lutheran theologian and author from Saxony.

The RHIEL name has also been associated with certain place names in Germany, such as the village of Rhiel in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. This could indicate that some bearers of the surname may have originated from or had connections to this particular region.

Other notable individuals with the RHIEL surname include Friedrich Rhiel (1765-1828), a German jurist and legal scholar, and Otto Rhiel (1879-1945), a German politician and member of the Reichstag during the Weimar Republic era.

While the RHIEL surname may have evolved in spelling and pronunciation over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Germany, reflecting the linguistic and cultural heritage of the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rhiel

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

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

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

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