2000
#8,650
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,498
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.30
Rare Last name
Riehl
German habitational surname referring to someone living near a reed bed or in a settlement called Riehl.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,470 Americans carry the last name Riehl. That puts it at #8,130 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,679 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Riehl 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
4.5K
1 in 76,679
Census rank
#8,130
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,898 bearers of the surname Riehl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8130th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Riehl, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Riehl
Among Census respondents with the surname Riehl, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Riehl 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 Riehl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 3,653
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 96
- Two or more races2.4% · 92
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 36
- Black or African American0.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Riehl
Riehl 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
#8,551
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,852
+354 bearers (+10.1%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Up 99 places
2020
#8,130
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,898
+46 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Up 421 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,650 | 3,498 | 1.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,551 | 3,852 | 1.31 | +354 bearers (+10.1%) | Up 99 places |
| 2020 | #8,130 | 3,898 | 1.30 | +46 bearers (+1.2%) | Up 421 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 Riehl 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 | #8,551 | #8,130 | 4.9% |
| Count | 3,852 | 3,898 | 1.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.31 | 1.30 | -0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Riehl bearers went from 3,852 to 3,898 (+1.2% change). The surname moved up 421 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,551 to #8,130.
FAQ
Riehl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Riehl?
Name Census estimates that about 4,470 living Americans carry the surname Riehl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,679 residents.
How common is Riehl?
Riehl ranks #8,130 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,898 people with the surname Riehl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,470), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.30 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Riehl.
Has Riehl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Riehl went from 3,852 recorded bearers to 3,898. That is an increase of 46 (+1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,551 to #8,130.
What does the Census say about the background of Riehl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Riehl, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Riehl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (3,653 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Riehl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Hispanic (2.5%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Riehl (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 Riehl mean?
German habitational surname referring to someone living near a reed bed or in a settlement called Riehl. 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 Riehl (1.30 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 Riehl?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.