2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Riether
Topographic surname derived from a German region name, meaning "from the reedy area".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Riether. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Riether 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Riether in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Riether, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Riether
The surname Riether originates from Germany, likely emerging in the 15th or 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "rieten," meaning "to clear land." This suggests that the name may have been given to individuals who worked as land clearers or farmers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Riether can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of Saxony, Germany, from the late 16th century. These records document several families with the surname Riether residing in the region.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various legal documents and property records in the German states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, indicating the spread of the Riether family across these areas.
A notable figure bearing this surname was Johann Riether (1711-1784), a German theologian and author from Nuremberg. He wrote several religious texts and served as a Lutheran pastor in Bavaria.
Another individual of note was Wilhelm Riether (1834-1910), a German politician and lawyer. He was a member of the Reichstag (Imperial Diet) and played a role in the unification of Germany in the late 19th century.
In the 19th century, the Riether surname also appeared in records from the Alsace region, which was disputed territory between France and Germany during that time. This suggests that some Riethers may have migrated or had origins in that area.
One of the earliest known Riethers in the United States was Johann Friedrich Riether, who immigrated from Germany to Pennsylvania in the 1750s. He and his descendants established a lineage of Riethers in America.
Another notable American figure was Henry Riether (1825-1901), a German-born businessman and entrepreneur who founded the Riether Brewing Company in Philadelphia in the mid-19th century.
While the Riether name is relatively uncommon, it has persisted through the centuries, with various individuals bearing this surname making contributions in fields such as religion, law, politics, and business.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Riether
Among Census respondents with the surname Riether, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Riether 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 Riether surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 104
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 4
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Riether
Riether 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+14 bearers (+12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,631 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-14 bearers (-10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,289 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+12.3%) | Up 3,631 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-10.9%) | Down 14,289 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 Riether 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 | #132,206 | #146,495 | -10.8% |
| Count | 128 | 114 | -10.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Riether bearers went from 128 to 114 (-10.9% change). The surname moved down 14,289 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #146,495.
FAQ
Riether surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Riether?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Riether. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Riether?
Riether ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 114 people with the surname Riether. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Riether.
Has Riether become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Riether went from 128 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 14 (-10.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Riether?
Among Census respondents with the surname Riether, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Riether in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Riether appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Riether (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 Riether mean?
Topographic surname derived from a German region name, meaning "from the reedy area". 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 Riether (0.04 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 have the last name Riether?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Riether on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.