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

Riehl, 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 Riehl surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Riehl in America

Riehl is the 8551st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Riehl surname appeared 3,852 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Riehl.

We can also compare 2010 data for Riehl 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 Riehl

The surname RIEHL has its origins in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the German word "riehl," which means "brook" or "small stream." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a brook or a small stream.

The name RIEHL is found in various historical records, including the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in a document from 1292, referring to a person named "Hinricus dictus Riele."

In the 15th century, the surname RIEHL is mentioned in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a certain "Hans Riehl" was listed as a citizen in 1482. This indicates that the name had spread to different parts of Germany by that time.

The RIEHL surname is also associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the most prominent figures was Wilhelm Heinrich Riehl (1823-1897), a German writer and cultural historian who wrote extensively about the traditions and customs of the German people. Another notable bearer of the name was Walter Riehl (1881-1923), an Austrian physicist and meteorologist known for his contributions to the study of atmospheric dynamics.

In the 16th century, the name RIEHL appeared in various records in the region of Silesia, which was then part of the Kingdom of Bohemia. For example, a certain "Caspar Riehl" was mentioned in the town records of Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland) in 1532.

The RIEHL surname is also found in some place names, such as Riehl am Rhein (Riehl on the Rhine), a district of the city of Cologne, Germany. This place name likely derived from the surname itself, indicating the presence of families bearing this name in the area.

Other notable individuals with the surname RIEHL include Alois Riehl (1844-1924), an Austrian philosopher and psychologist; Johann Riehl (1877-1951), a German mathematician and logician; and Berthold Riehl (1858-1911), a German painter and illustrator known for his depictions of rural life.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Riehl

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

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 Riehl 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 Riehl 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 Riehl was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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