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

Riske, 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 Riske surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Riske in America

Riske is the 31068th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Riske surname appeared 747 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Riske.

We can also compare 2010 data for Riske 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 Riske

The surname Riske is believed to have originated in Germany, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "risc," which means "rush" or "reed." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a reed bed or worked with rushes.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Riske surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents from Saxony, where a certain "Henricus Riske" is mentioned in a record from the year 1347. This indicates that the name was already in use by the 14th century.

In the 15th century, the Riske name appears in the records of the city of Lübeck, a prominent Hanseatic port in northern Germany. A merchant named Johann Riske is documented as having traded goods between Lübeck and other Baltic cities in the 1460s.

During the 16th century, the Riske surname spread to other regions of Germany, including Pomerania and Brandenburg. In 1587, a man named Hans Riske is recorded as having been a landowner in the village of Groß Raddow, near the city of Stettin (now Szczecin, Poland).

One notable figure with the Riske surname was Johann Christoph Riske, a German composer and organist who lived from 1670 to 1746. He served as the court organist in the Prussian city of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia) and composed numerous works for organ and other instruments.

In the 19th century, the Riske name can be found in various regions of Germany, including Saxony, Silesia, and the Rhineland. A prominent individual from this period was Carl Gustav Riske (1820-1889), a German lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Reichstag, the imperial parliament of Germany.

Other notable individuals with the Riske surname throughout history include Friedrich Riske (1842-1919), a German architect and urban planner who designed several buildings in Berlin, and Elfriede Riske (1915-2003), a German actress and singer who appeared in numerous films and stage productions during the mid-20th century.

While the Riske surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through emigration and migration. However, the core of its history and origins can be traced back to the German lands, where it likely originated as a descriptive name for those living near reed beds or working with rushes.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Riske

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

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

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

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