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

Rist, 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 Rist surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rist in America

Rist is the 15600th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rist surname appeared 1,874 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 Rist.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rist 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 Rist

The surname RIST has its origins in Germany, with records of the name dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the old Germanic word "rista," which means "to carve" or "to scratch." This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with professions such as woodcarving or stone masonry.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, Germany. In this text, a person named Henricus Rist is mentioned in a record from the year 1190.

Throughout the Middle Ages, the name RIST appeared in various parts of Germany, including regions such as Saxony, Thuringia, and Bavaria. Variants of the spelling included Riste, Ryst, and Ryste.

In the 14th century, the name RIST was documented in the town of Erfurt, located in modern-day Thuringia, Germany. A prominent figure bearing this surname was Johann Rist (1607-1667), a German poet and playwright who is considered one of the most important writers of the Baroque period.

Another notable individual with the surname RIST was Johann Georg Rist (1777-1847), a German theologian and author. He was born in Winnenden, Württemberg, and is known for his works on Christian ethics and moral philosophy.

Moving to the 19th century, Carl Rist (1832-1899) was a German-born American architect who designed several notable buildings in New York City, including the original Metropolitan Opera House and the former Equitable Life Assurance Society Building.

In England, the name RIST can be traced back to the early 17th century, possibly derived from German immigrants. One example is William Rist (1611-1675), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Headmaster of Eton College.

The surname RIST has also been documented in parts of Switzerland, particularly in the canton of Bern. One individual of note is Johannes Rist (1795-1867), a Swiss politician and statesman who served as the President of the Swiss Federal Council in 1847.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rist

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

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

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

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