2000
#12,162
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,349
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Rieder
An occupational surname referring to a mounted warrior or knight, derived from the German word "Ritter" meaning "rider."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,636 Americans carry the last name Rieder. That puts it at #12,791 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 130,028 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rieder 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
2.6K
1 in 130,028
Census rank
#12,791
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,299 bearers of the surname Rieder in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12791st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rieder, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rieder
The surname Rieder has its origins in the German-speaking regions of central Europe, particularly in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, sometime around the 13th or 14th century.
The name Rieder is derived from the German word "Ried," which means "reed" or "marsh." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname likely lived near marshy or reedy areas, possibly near a river or lake. Alternatively, it could also be an occupational name for someone who worked with reeds or in a reed-related trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rieder can be found in the Urbarium of the Monastery of St. Paul in Carinthia, Austria, dating back to the year 1337. This document mentions a person named Chunrat der Rieder, indicating the presence of the name in the region during that period.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Rieder was Matthias Rieder, a German Lutheran theologian and reformer born in Nuremberg in 1520. He was a prominent figure during the Protestant Reformation and played a significant role in the spread of Lutheran teachings in Germany.
Another historical figure with this surname was Johann Rieder, a German painter and engraver who lived in the 18th century. He was born in Nuremberg in 1711 and is known for his intricate engravings and etchings depicting landscapes and architectural scenes.
In the 19th century, a notable bearer of the Rieder name was Franz Rieder, an Austrian painter and lithographer born in Vienna in 1821. He was celebrated for his landscapes and genre scenes, and his works can be found in various art museums across Europe.
Johannes Rieder, a Swiss politician and jurist, was also a prominent figure in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was born in 1863 in Uznach, Switzerland, and served as a member of the National Council, the lower house of the Swiss Federal Assembly, from 1902 to 1919.
While the surname Rieder has its roots in the German-speaking regions of central Europe, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, its historical origins and connections to the marshlands and reed-related occupations remain an integral part of its legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rieder
Among Census respondents with the surname Rieder, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Rieder 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 Rieder surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.6% · 2,175
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 56
- Two or more races2.1% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 14
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rieder
Rieder 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
#12,842
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,397
+48 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 680 places
2020
#12,791
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,299
-98 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Up 51 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,162 | 2,349 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,842 | 2,397 | 0.81 | +48 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 680 places |
| 2020 | #12,791 | 2,299 | 0.77 | -98 bearers (-4.1%) | Up 51 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 Rieder 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 | #12,842 | #12,791 | 0.4% |
| Count | 2,397 | 2,299 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.77 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rieder bearers went from 2,397 to 2,299 (-4.1% change). The surname moved up 51 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,842 to #12,791.
FAQ
Rieder surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rieder?
Name Census estimates that about 2,636 living Americans carry the surname Rieder. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 130,028 residents.
How common is Rieder?
Rieder ranks #12,791 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,299 people with the surname Rieder. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,636), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Rieder.
Has Rieder become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rieder went from 2,397 recorded bearers to 2,299. That is a decrease of 98 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,842 to #12,791.
What does the Census say about the background of Rieder?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rieder, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (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 Rieder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (2,175 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rieder appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.6%), Hispanic (2.4%), Two or More Races (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 Rieder (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 Rieder mean?
An occupational surname referring to a mounted warrior or knight, derived from the German word "Ritter" meaning "rider." 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 Rieder (0.77 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 Rieder?
Find out how many people are called Rieder on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.