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

Riffel, 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 Riffel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Riffel in America

Riffel is the 17441st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Riffel surname appeared 1,617 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 Riffel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Riffel 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 Riffel

The surname Riffel is of German origin, originating in the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "riffel," which means "ridge" or "furrow." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive surname to someone who lived near a ridge or worked on a farm with ridged fields.

One of the earliest records of the surname Riffel can be found in the Bavarian town of Altdorf, where a certain Heinricus Riffel was documented in 1365. The name also appears in various medieval records from the regions of Saxony and Thuringia, indicating its widespread use across German territories.

In the 16th century, the surname Riffel experienced variations in spelling, such as Ryffel, Rüffel, and Rüffell. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the lack of standardized spelling conventions at the time.

One notable bearer of the name was Johann Riffel, a German theologian and writer born in 1574 in Jena, Saxony. He authored several religious works and served as a professor at the University of Jena until his death in 1642.

Another historical figure with the surname Riffel was Caspar Riffel, a German painter and engraver active in the 17th century. He was born in Augsburg, Bavaria, in 1615 and is known for his landscapes and etchings depicting religious scenes.

In the 18th century, the surname Riffel was found in the town of Wallerstein, located in present-day Bavaria. Records indicate that a certain Johann Georg Riffel, born in 1712, was a prominent citizen and landowner in the area.

Moving into the 19th century, the name Riffel gained recognition through the work of Friedrich Riffel, a German architect and urban planner born in 1807 in Kassel, Hesse. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Kassel and contributed to the city's urban development.

Finally, one of the more recent historical figures with the surname Riffel was Alfred Riffel, a German-American entrepreneur and inventor born in 1888 in Stuttgart, Germany. He immigrated to the United States in the early 20th century and obtained several patents for his inventions related to automotive and industrial equipment.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Riffel

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

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

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

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