2000
#4,658
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,960
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.58
Rare Last name
Ries
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to someone who harvested twigs and brushwood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,969 Americans carry the last name Ries. That puts it at #4,922 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 43,011 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ries 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
8.0K
1 in 43,011
Census rank
#4,922
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,949 bearers of the surname Ries in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4922nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ries, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ries
The surname RIES has its roots in the German language, originating in the central regions of Germany during the late Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Ries," which referred to a type of marshy meadow or low-lying area near a river or stream.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in historical records from the 15th century, where it appears as a descriptive surname for individuals who lived or worked near such marshy areas. The name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Bavaria, Saxony, and Thuringia, where these types of landscapes were common.
In the 16th century, the RIES surname began to appear in various official documents and records, such as church registers and municipal records. One notable example is Johann RIES, a farmer and landowner who was born in the village of Großheubach, Bavaria, in 1537 and died in 1612.
As the name spread across Germany and into neighboring regions, it underwent slight variations in spelling, with forms like "Riess," "Rieß," and "Ries" being used interchangeably. Some of these variations were also influenced by local dialects and regional pronunciation differences.
In the 17th century, the RIES name gained prominence with the birth of Johann Friedrich RIES, a renowned German composer and organist who lived from 1605 to 1675. He is considered one of the most influential figures in the development of early Baroque music in Germany.
Another notable individual with the RIES surname was Friedrich Wilhelm RIES, a German painter and engraver who was born in 1838 and died in 1892. His works, which often depicted landscapes and architectural scenes, are highly regarded and can be found in various museums across Europe.
During the 19th century, as migration from Germany to other parts of the world increased, the RIES surname began to spread internationally. One such example is Ferdinand RIES, a German-born composer and pianist who lived from 1784 to 1838 and spent a significant portion of his career in England, where he was highly influential in the development of early Romantic piano music.
In more recent times, the RIES surname has been associated with individuals from various fields, including the American politician and diplomat William RIES, who served as the United States Ambassador to Greece from 1977 to 1981, and the German-born American architect and designer Ludwig RIES, who was known for his contributions to the development of modernist architecture in the United States during the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ries
Among Census respondents with the surname Ries, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ries 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 Ries surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 6,308
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 268
- Two or more races2.9% · 202
- Black or African American1.6% · 110
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 47
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ries
Ries 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
#4,857
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,258
+298 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 2.46
Rank movement Down 199 places
2020
#4,922
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,949
-309 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 2.32
Rank movement Down 65 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,658 | 6,960 | 2.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,857 | 7,258 | 2.46 | +298 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 199 places |
| 2020 | #4,922 | 6,949 | 2.32 | -309 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 65 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 Ries 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 | #4,857 | #4,922 | -1.3% |
| Count | 7,258 | 6,949 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.46 | 2.32 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ries bearers went from 7,258 to 6,949 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 65 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,857 to #4,922.
FAQ
Ries surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ries?
Name Census estimates that about 7,969 living Americans carry the surname Ries. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 43,011 residents.
How common is Ries?
Ries ranks #4,922 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.32 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 6,949 people with the surname Ries. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,969), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.32 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 Ries.
Has Ries become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ries went from 7,258 recorded bearers to 6,949. That is a decrease of 309 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,857 to #4,922.
What does the Census say about the background of Ries?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ries, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Ries in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (6,308 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ries appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Ries (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 Ries mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to someone who harvested twigs and brushwood. 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 Ries (2.32 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 common is the surname Ries?
See how many people have the last name Ries on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.