2000
#33,933
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 633
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.23
Very Rare Last name
Riegert
A surname denoting someone from the German city of Ried or its surroundings.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 742 Americans carry the last name Riegert. That puts it at #37,075 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 461,933 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Riegert 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
742
1 in 461,933
Census rank
#37,075
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
647
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 647 bearers of the surname Riegert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 37075th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Riegert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Riegert
The surname Riegert is of German origin and can be traced back to the 14th century in the region of Bavaria, Germany. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "rieger," which means "ruler" or "governor." This suggests that the name may have been originally borne by someone who held a position of authority or leadership in their community.
The earliest recorded mention of the name Riegert can be found in the Bavarian town records from the late 1300s, where it appeared with various spellings such as "Rieger," "Riegher," and "Riegert." These variations in spelling were common during that era due to the lack of standardized orthography.
In the 16th century, the name Riegert appeared in the Manorial Records of the Holy Roman Empire, indicating that some individuals bearing this surname may have held landholdings or estates during that time period. One notable example is Hans Riegert (1520-1587), a prominent merchant and landowner from the town of Augsburg.
As the name spread beyond Bavaria, it began to appear in various historical documents across different regions of Germany. For instance, in the 17th century, there are records of a family named Riegert residing in the town of Lübeck, located in northern Germany.
In the 18th century, Johann Michael Riegert (1742-1819) was a renowned German philosopher and theologian who made significant contributions to the field of Christian apologetics. His writings and teachings were influential during the Age of Enlightenment.
Another notable figure was Wilhelm Riegert (1817-1892), a German politician and jurist who served as a member of the Reichstag (the German parliament) during the late 19th century. He was a prominent advocate for civil rights and legal reforms.
As families bearing the surname Riegert migrated to different parts of the world, the name continued to appear in various historical records and documents. For example, in the early 20th century, there are records of individuals named Riegert living in the United States, particularly in areas with significant German immigrant populations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Riegert
Among Census respondents with the surname Riegert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Riegert 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 Riegert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 595
- Two or more races4.3% · 28
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 5
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Riegert
Riegert 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
#35,622
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 631
-2 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 1,689 places
2020
#37,075
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 647
+16 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Down 1,453 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #33,933 | 633 | 0.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #35,622 | 631 | 0.21 | -2 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 1,689 places |
| 2020 | #37,075 | 647 | 0.22 | +16 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 1,453 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 Riegert 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 | #35,622 | #37,075 | -4.1% |
| Count | 631 | 647 | 2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.21 | 0.22 | 3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Riegert bearers went from 631 to 647 (+2.5% change). The surname moved down 1,453 positions in the national ranking, going from #35,622 to #37,075.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Riegert
FAQ
Riegert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Riegert?
Name Census estimates that about 742 living Americans carry the surname Riegert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 461,933 residents.
How common is Riegert?
Riegert ranks #37,075 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.22 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 647 people with the surname Riegert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (742), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.22 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 Riegert.
Has Riegert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Riegert went from 631 recorded bearers to 647. That is an increase of 16 (+2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #35,622 to #37,075.
What does the Census say about the background of Riegert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Riegert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Riegert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (595 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Riegert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Riegert (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 Riegert mean?
A surname denoting someone from the German city of Ried or its surroundings. 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 Riegert (0.22 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 share the surname Riegert?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.