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

Riebe, 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 Riebe surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Riebe in America

Riebe is the 17586th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Riebe surname appeared 1,598 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Riebe.

We can also compare 2010 data for Riebe 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 Riebe

The surname Riebe has its origins in the German language and is believed to have emerged in the region of Lower Saxony, Germany during the late medieval period. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "Ribe" or "Riebe," which referred to a small stream or creek.

Historically, surnames often derived from topographical features or places where families resided. This suggests that the Riebe surname may have originated with a family residing near a small stream or creek. The earliest known record of the name Riebe appears in the town of Goslar, Lower Saxony, in the 15th century.

In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Riebe surname was Johannes Riebe, a Lutheran minister born in Hannover in 1525. He played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in northern Germany and authored several religious texts.

Another prominent individual with the Riebe surname was Wilhelm Riebe, a German politician and journalist born in 1848 in Mecklenburg-Schwerin. He served as a member of the Reichstag (German parliament) and was a vocal advocate for workers' rights and social reforms.

In the realm of arts and culture, the name Riebe is associated with the German painter and illustrator, Otto Riebe, who was born in 1874 in Görlitz, Silesia (now part of Poland). His works predominantly featured landscapes and scenes from rural life in Germany.

Moving into the 20th century, one notable figure with the Riebe surname was Walther Riebe, a German aviator and World War I flying ace. Born in 1891 in Cassel, he was credited with shooting down 28 enemy aircraft during his service with the Imperial German Air Service.

The surname Riebe has also spread to other parts of the world due to emigration from Germany. While not as common as in its country of origin, the name can be found in various countries with significant German-speaking populations or historical ties to Germany.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Riebe

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

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

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

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