2000
#5,557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,739
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.13
Rare Last name
Rieger
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of bolts, locks, or fences.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,124 Americans carry the last name Rieger. That puts it at #6,150 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 55,969 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rieger 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
6.1K
1 in 55,969
Census rank
#6,150
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,340 bearers of the surname Rieger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6150th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rieger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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Another notable historical reference to the name Rieger comes from the Swiss town of Zofingen, where a family bearing this surname is documented as early as the 16th century.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rieger
Among Census respondents with the surname Rieger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Rieger 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 Rieger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 4,935
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 175
- Two or more races2.7% · 143
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 41
- Black or African American0.7% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rieger
Rieger 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
#5,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,989
+250 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 2.03
Rank movement Down 226 places
2020
#6,150
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,340
-649 bearers (-10.8%)
Per 100,000 1.79
Rank movement Down 367 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,557 | 5,739 | 2.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,783 | 5,989 | 2.03 | +250 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 226 places |
| 2020 | #6,150 | 5,340 | 1.79 | -649 bearers (-10.8%) | Down 367 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 Rieger 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 | #5,783 | #6,150 | -6.3% |
| Count | 5,989 | 5,340 | -10.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.03 | 1.79 | -12.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rieger bearers went from 5,989 to 5,340 (-10.8% change). The surname moved down 367 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,783 to #6,150.
FAQ
Rieger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rieger?
Name Census estimates that about 6,124 living Americans carry the surname Rieger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 55,969 residents.
How common is Rieger?
Rieger ranks #6,150 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.79 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 5,340 people with the surname Rieger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.79 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 Rieger.
Has Rieger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rieger went from 5,989 recorded bearers to 5,340. That is a decrease of 649 (-10.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,783 to #6,150.
What does the Census say about the background of Rieger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rieger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Rieger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (4,935 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rieger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Rieger (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 Rieger mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of bolts, locks, or fences. 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 Rieger (1.79 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 Americans have the surname Rieger?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.