2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Riebesehl
A German surname derived from a place name referring to a person from Riebeseel or similar location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Riebesehl. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Riebesehl surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Riebesehl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Riebesehl, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Riebesehl
The surname Riebesehl is of German origin, emerging in the late 16th century. The name is believed to have originated from the Low German words "riebe" meaning "furrow" and "sehl" meaning "valley," suggesting a connection to a geographic location or occupation related to agriculture.
Early records indicate that the name was concentrated in the northern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein. The earliest known spelling variations include Riebesehl, Riebeseel, and Riebesaal.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Riebesehl can be found in the church records of St. Petri in Hamburg, dating back to the late 1500s. These records mention a Hans Riebesehl, who was a farmer in the area.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in various legal documents and property records in the region around Hamburg. Notable individuals bearing this surname during this period include Johann Riebesehl (1620-1687), a merchant and landowner, and Margaretha Riebesehl (1641-1712), a prominent businesswoman.
As the name spread beyond its initial geographical roots, it appeared in other parts of Germany and neighboring regions. In the 18th century, the Riebesehl family established itself in the city of Lübeck, where they were involved in maritime trade and shipbuilding. Andreas Riebesehl (1712-1778) was a respected shipwright and naval architect in Lübeck.
The 19th century saw the Riebesehl name gain prominence in academia and the arts. Ernst Riebesehl (1805-1871) was a renowned German painter and professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. His contemporary, Wilhelm Riebesehl (1819-1895), was a respected theologian and philosopher who taught at the University of Greifswald.
Another notable figure from this period was Karl Riebesehl (1840-1912), a German historian and author who wrote extensively on the history of Schleswig-Holstein and the Baltic region.
As the Riebesehl family spread across Germany and beyond, the name has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, and professionals.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Riebesehl
Among Census respondents with the surname Riebesehl, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Riebesehl bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Riebesehl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 6
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Riebesehl
Riebesehl appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-7 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 3,054 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 3,054 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Riebesehl surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #152,628 | #155,682 | -2.0% |
| Count | 107 | 100 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Riebesehl bearers went from 107 to 100 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 3,054 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #155,682.
FAQ
Riebesehl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Riebesehl?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Riebesehl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Riebesehl?
Riebesehl ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 100 people with the surname Riebesehl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Riebesehl.
Has Riebesehl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Riebesehl went from 107 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Riebesehl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Riebesehl, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Riebesehl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Riebesehl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (6.0%), Two or More Races (2.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Riebesehl (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Riebesehl mean?
A German surname derived from a place name referring to a person from Riebeseel or similar location. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Riebesehl (0.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Riebesehl?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Riebesehl? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.