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

Rishel, 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 Rishel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rishel in America

Rishel is the 17193rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rishel surname appeared 1,647 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 Rishel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rishel 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 Rishel

The surname RISHEL originates from Germany, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Risch," meaning "rush" or "reed," often referring to a person who lived near a marshy area or a river bank.

One of the earliest known references to the name RISHEL can be found in the records of the town of Mühlhausen, located in the present-day state of Thuringia, Germany. In 1582, a man named Hans Rishel was mentioned as a landowner in the town's registry.

As the name spread across different regions of Germany, it underwent several spelling variations, including Rischel, Rischl, and Rischele. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of local scribes who recorded the names.

In the 17th century, the RISHEL surname began to appear in various church records and official documents across regions such as Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. One notable individual from this period was Johann Rishel, a merchant from Nuremberg, who was born in 1642 and died in 1701.

As German immigrants began to settle in North America during the 18th and 19th centuries, the RISHEL surname was introduced to the New World. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America was that of Johannes Rishel, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1738 from the Palatinate region of Germany.

Throughout the 19th century, several individuals with the RISHEL surname made their mark in various fields. One such person was William Rishel (1817-1890), a prominent lawyer and politician from Pennsylvania who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives.

Another noteworthy figure was Johann Rishel (1856-1932), a German-American inventor and engineer who held numerous patents for various mechanical devices and was recognized for his contributions to the field of industrial machinery.

In the field of literature, Mary Rishel (1878-1958) was an American author and poet who gained recognition for her works that explored themes of nature and rural life in the Midwest.

The RISHEL surname has also been associated with military service, with individuals like Major General Robert Rishel (1909-1997), who served in the United States Army during World War II and the Korean War, and received numerous honors for his distinguished service.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rishel

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

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

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

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