2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rieffel
A surname derived from the German word for "groove" or "groove cutter", referring to an occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Rieffel. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rieffel 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Rieffel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rieffel, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.5%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rieffel
The surname RIEFFEL is of German origin, derived from the medieval German word "rif" meaning reef or ridge, and likely referred to someone who lived near a ridge or elevated land formation. It emerged in the southern regions of Germany in the 13th century.
The earliest known record of the name RIEFFEL dates back to 1295, when a Walter Rieffel was mentioned in a land deed from the village of Oberriexingen near Stuttgart. Similar spellings like Riefele, Riffele, and Riffler were also found in regional records from that era.
In the 16th century, the RIEFFEL name appeared in church registries from the town of Herrenberg, located in the Black Forest region of Baden-Württemberg. A notable bearer was Hans Rieffel (1510-1582), a master glassblower whose work can still be found in museums across southern Germany.
The 17th century saw the RIEFFEL name spread further into neighboring regions like Alsace and Switzerland. Johann Michael Rieffel (1637-1712) was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Basel during this time.
As the name dispersed across Europe, it adopted various spellings based on local dialects and languages. In France, it became Rieffle or Riffle, while in Poland it was Ryfel or Ryffel. Peter Riefel (1792-1856), born in Alsace, was a celebrated landscape painter whose works depicted scenes from the Rhine Valley.
Another famous bearer of the RIEFFEL name was the Austrian composer and conductor Karl Rieffel (1876-1936), who worked extensively in Italy and is credited with helping popularize operas by Wagner and Verdi across Europe in the early 20th century.
The 19th century also saw the RIEFFEL name establish roots in the United States, with immigrants arriving from Germany and Switzerland. One of the earliest was Johann Rieffel (1818-1902), who settled in Ohio after fleeing political unrest in Baden.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rieffel
Among Census respondents with the surname Rieffel, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.5%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Rieffel 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 Rieffel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.2% · 86
- Hispanic or Latino14.5% · 16
- Two or more races5.5% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rieffel
Rieffel 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+13 bearers (+11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,920 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-16 bearers (-12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,583 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+11.5%) | Up 2,920 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.7%) | Down 15,583 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 Rieffel 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 | #133,863 | #149,446 | -11.6% |
| Count | 126 | 110 | -12.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rieffel bearers went from 126 to 110 (-12.7% change). The surname moved down 15,583 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #149,446.
FAQ
Rieffel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rieffel?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Rieffel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Rieffel?
Rieffel ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 110 people with the surname Rieffel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Rieffel.
Has Rieffel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rieffel went from 126 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 16 (-12.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Rieffel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rieffel, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.5%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Rieffel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.2% (86 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rieffel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.2%), Hispanic (14.5%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Rieffel (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 Rieffel mean?
A surname derived from the German word for "groove" or "groove cutter", referring to an occupation. 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 Rieffel (0.04 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 Rieffel?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Rieffel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.