2000
#10,196
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,902
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.08
Rare Last name
Rieck
A German toponymic surname indicating someone from a settlement near a reed bed or reed-covered stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,101 Americans carry the last name Rieck. That puts it at #11,190 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 110,530 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rieck 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
3.1K
1 in 110,530
Census rank
#11,190
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,704 bearers of the surname Rieck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11190th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rieck, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rieck
The surname Rieck is of German origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the northern German region, particularly in areas such as Mecklenburg and Pomerania. The name is derived from the Old German word "riec," which means "rich" or "wealthy," suggesting that the original bearers of this name were individuals of affluence or high social standing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Rieck surname can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, dating back to the 14th century. The name appears in various spellings, including "Ricke," "Rike," and "Rycke," reflecting the linguistic variations common during that era.
In the 16th century, the Rieck surname gained prominence with the birth of Matthias Rieck (1528-1594), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and served as a pastor in several towns across Germany.
Another notable figure was Johann Peter Rieck (1681-1765), a German composer and organist who lived during the Baroque period. He was renowned for his compositions for the organ and his contributions to sacred music.
In the 19th century, Friedrich Wilhelm Rieck (1810-1872) gained recognition as a German pianist, composer, and music critic. He was a prominent figure in the Berlin musical scene and contributed extensively to the development of piano pedagogy.
The Rieck surname also found its way into the realm of literature with the birth of Carl Gottlieb Rieck (1804-1877), a German writer and poet. He is best known for his contributions to the Göttingen Dichterbund, a literary circle that played a significant role in the development of German Romanticism.
Lastly, Gustav Rieck (1899-1959) was a German naval officer who served during World War II. He held the rank of Kapitän zur See (Captain at Sea) and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, one of the highest military honors in Nazi Germany, for his service in the Battle of the Atlantic.
While the Rieck surname has its roots in northern Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, reflecting the migration patterns and cultural exchange that have shaped human history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rieck
Among Census respondents with the surname Rieck, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Rieck 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 Rieck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 2,545
- Two or more races2.9% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
- Black or African American0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rieck
Rieck appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#11,132
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,847
-55 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 936 places
2020
#11,190
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,704
-143 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 58 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,196 | 2,902 | 1.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,132 | 2,847 | 0.97 | -55 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 936 places |
| 2020 | #11,190 | 2,704 | 0.90 | -143 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 58 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 Rieck 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 | #11,132 | #11,190 | -0.5% |
| Count | 2,847 | 2,704 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 0.90 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rieck bearers went from 2,847 to 2,704 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 58 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,132 to #11,190.
FAQ
Rieck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rieck?
Name Census estimates that about 3,101 living Americans carry the surname Rieck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 110,530 residents.
How common is Rieck?
Rieck ranks #11,190 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,704 people with the surname Rieck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,101), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Rieck.
Has Rieck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rieck went from 2,847 recorded bearers to 2,704. That is a decrease of 143 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,132 to #11,190.
What does the Census say about the background of Rieck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rieck, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Rieck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (2,545 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rieck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Rieck (2000, 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 Rieck mean?
A German toponymic surname indicating someone from a settlement near a reed bed or reed-covered stream. 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 Rieck (0.90 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 many people have the surname Rieck?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.