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

Ryback, 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 Ryback surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ryback in America

Ryback is the 47429th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ryback surname appeared 447 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 Ryback.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ryback 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 Ryback

The surname Ryback has its roots in Germany and Poland, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the German word 'Rücken,' meaning 'back' or 'ridge,' likely referring to someone who lived near a ridge or hill.

The earliest known record of the name appears in a German church register from 1543, where it was spelled 'Ruckbeck.' This spelling variation indicates that the name may have derived from a combination of the German words 'Rücken' and 'Beck,' the latter meaning 'brook' or 'stream.' Thus, the name could have referred to someone residing near a ridge or hill next to a stream.

In the 17th century, the name was also found in the Polish region of Silesia, where it was spelled 'Rybak,' which translates to 'fisherman' in Polish. This suggests that the name may have been adopted by individuals involved in fishing or living near bodies of water.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Ryback surname was Johannes Ryback, a German farmer born in 1612 in the village of Eberswalde, near Berlin. Another notable bearer of the name was Hans Ryback, a Polish-born merchant who lived in Wrocław (then known as Breslau) in the late 16th century.

In the 18th century, the name appears in various records from the German states of Prussia and Saxony, as well as in the Czech lands of Bohemia and Moravia. Some variations of the spelling included Rüback, Rubach, and Rymbeck.

Among the more prominent individuals with the Ryback surname were:

1. Friedrich Ryback (1781-1864), a German theologian and scholar from Saxony.
2. Kaspar Ryback (1795-1877), a Prussian-born military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars.
3. Adela Rybacková (1854-1932), a Czech writer and feminist activist.
4. Jan Ryback (1883-1957), a Polish-born artist and painter known for his landscapes and portraits.
5. Walther Ryback (1904-1994), a German-American engineer who contributed to the development of radar technology during World War II.

While the surname Ryback is not among the most common names globally, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and multiple regions of Central and Eastern Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ryback

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

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

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

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