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

Rieb, 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 Rieb surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rieb in America

Rieb is the 74141st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rieb surname appeared 261 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 Rieb.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rieb 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 Rieb

The surname RIEB originated in Germany, with the earliest records of its use dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "riebe," which means "grate" or "scrape." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person who worked as a grater or scraper, perhaps in a trade such as woodworking or metalworking.

One of the earliest known references to the name RIEB can be found in the town records of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a historic town in Bavaria, Germany. In these records, a blacksmith named Hans RIEB is mentioned in the year 1589. This provides evidence that the name was already established in this region by the late 16th century.

Another notable early appearance of the name RIEB is in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Oberwesel, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. These records show a family with the surname RIEB living in the town in the early 17th century. The oldest known member of this family was Johann RIEB, who was born around 1610.

Moving forward in time, the name RIEB can be found in various historical documents and records throughout Germany. For example, in the 18th century, there was a prominent musician named Johann Friedrich RIEB (1730-1798) who was a violinist and composer in the court of the Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg.

In the 19th century, a notable figure with the surname RIEB was Wilhelm RIEB (1823-1897), a German jurist and politician. He served as a member of the Reichstag, the parliament of the German Empire, from 1874 to 1884. Another individual of note was the author and poet Karl RIEB (1878-1951), who wrote several works of fiction and poetry in the early 20th century.

While the surname RIEB may not be as widely known as some other German surnames, it has a rich history that can be traced back to the 16th century and earlier. The name is deeply rooted in various regions of Germany, and it has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including craftsmen, musicians, politicians, and writers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rieb

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

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

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

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