Find out how popular the last name Rieger is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Rieger.

Rieger, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Rieger surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rieger in America

Rieger is the 5783rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rieger surname appeared 5,989 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Rieger.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rieger to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Rieger

The surname Rieger originates from the German-speaking regions of Europe, primarily in Germany and Switzerland. It likely emerged during the Middle Ages, between the 11th and 15th centuries. The name is derived from the Germanic word "rigan," meaning "to move in a certain direction" or "to straighten." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, referring to someone who straightened or aligned objects, such as a carpenter or a builder.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rieger can be found in the 14th century records of the city of Nuremberg, Germany. In these documents, a person named Hans Rieger is mentioned as a member of the local guild of carpenters. This provides evidence that the name was indeed associated with the carpentry trade during that time period.

Another notable historical reference to the name Rieger comes from the Swiss town of Zofingen, where a family bearing this surname is documented as early as the 16th century. The Rieger family was influential in the town's affairs and held various positions of authority, including that of a mayor in the late 17th century.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Rieger was Tobias Rieger (1532-1609), a German composer and organist who lived and worked in Nuremberg. He is known for his contributions to the development of Protestant church music during the Reformation era.

Another notable bearer of the name was Johann Philipp Rieger (1681-1767), a renowned organ builder from Germany. His organs were highly regarded and can still be found in many churches across Europe, including the famous Frauenkirche in Dresden.

In the 19th century, the name Rieger gained prominence in the field of linguistics and philology. Max Rieger (1835-1919) was a German philologist and professor at the University of Würzburg, known for his work on the Germanic languages and their historical development.

The surname Rieger has also been associated with various place names throughout the German-speaking regions. For example, the town of Riegersfeld in Alsace, France, derives its name from the German word "Rieger," possibly referring to a person or family with that surname who settled in the area.

Throughout history, the name Rieger has been spelled in various ways, including Riger, Riegar, and Rieger. However, the modern standardized spelling in German and English is Rieger.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rieger

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Rieger.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Rieger was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Rieger has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Rieger was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Rieger, please contact us.

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