2000
#5,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,430
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.38
Rare Last name
Riedel
A German toponymic surname indicating someone who lived near a reed bed or in a clearing in the reeds.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,973 Americans carry the last name Riedel. That puts it at #5,525 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,155 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Riedel 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Riedel with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.0K
1 in 49,155
Census rank
#5,525
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,081 bearers of the surname Riedel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5525th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Riedel, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Riedel
The surname Riedel is of German origin, with roots that can be traced back to the 14th century. It is derived from the German word "Ried," which means "reed" or "marsh," indicating that the name was likely given to someone who lived near a marshy area or worked with reeds.
The earliest known record of the name Riedel dates back to 1389, when a certain Heinz Riedel was mentioned in the town records of Nuremberg, Germany. This suggests that the name was already established in that region by the late Middle Ages.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Riedel name appears in various historical documents across German-speaking areas, including church records, tax rolls, and guild registries. One notable bearer of the name was Johann Riedel (1570-1638), a German engraver and printmaker who was active in Augsburg.
In the 18th century, the Riedel family became prominent in the glass-making industry in Bohemia, which was then part of the Habsburg Monarchy. Johann Christoph Riedel (1705-1784) established a glassworks in Polesná, which would later become one of the most renowned producers of fine crystal glassware, known as Riedel Crystal.
Another significant figure with the Riedel surname was Christian Samuel Riedel (1726-1801), a German botanist and physician who made important contributions to the study of plant classification and taxonomy.
As the Riedel family prospered in the glass industry, their name became closely associated with the production of high-quality glassware. Walter Riedel (1857-1919), a descendant of Johann Christoph Riedel, played a pivotal role in modernizing and expanding the family business in the late 19th century.
Over the centuries, the Riedel surname has also been linked to various places in Germany and Austria, such as Riedelsheim, Riedenburg, and Riedlhütte, which may have contributed to the development of local variations of the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Riedel
Among Census respondents with the surname Riedel, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Riedel 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 Riedel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 5,472
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 270
- Two or more races3.4% · 206
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 82
- Black or African American0.6% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Riedel
Riedel 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
#5,295
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,578
+148 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 2.23
Rank movement Down 289 places
2020
#5,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,081
-497 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 2.03
Rank movement Down 230 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,006 | 6,430 | 2.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,295 | 6,578 | 2.23 | +148 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 289 places |
| 2020 | #5,525 | 6,081 | 2.03 | -497 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 230 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 Riedel 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 | #5,295 | #5,525 | -4.3% |
| Count | 6,578 | 6,081 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.23 | 2.03 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Riedel bearers went from 6,578 to 6,081 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 230 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,295 to #5,525.
FAQ
Riedel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Riedel?
Name Census estimates that about 6,973 living Americans carry the surname Riedel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,155 residents.
How common is Riedel?
Riedel ranks #5,525 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,081 people with the surname Riedel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,973), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Riedel.
Has Riedel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Riedel went from 6,578 recorded bearers to 6,081. That is a decrease of 497 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,295 to #5,525.
What does the Census say about the background of Riedel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Riedel, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Riedel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (5,472 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Riedel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Riedel (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 Riedel mean?
A German toponymic surname indicating someone who lived near a reed bed or in a clearing in the reeds. 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 Riedel (2.03 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 many people have the last name Riedel?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Riedel, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.