2000
#8,090
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,775
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.40
Rare Last name
Riegel
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of bolts or locks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,950 Americans carry the last name Riegel. That puts it at #9,115 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,773 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Riegel surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 86,773
Census rank
#9,115
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,445 bearers of the surname Riegel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9115th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Riegel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Riegel
The surname Riegel has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged during the medieval period. The name is derived from the German word "Riegel," which means "bolt" or "bar," referring to a bar or latch used to secure doors or gates. This suggests that the name might have originally been an occupational surname, given to those who worked as locksmiths or those responsible for securing fortifications.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Riegel surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the 13th century, where a person named Henricus Riegel is mentioned in relation to a land transaction in the town of Spandau near Berlin.
In the 14th century, the Riegel surname appears in various records from the region of Saxony, particularly in the city of Leipzig. Notable individuals from this period include Johannes Riegel, a merchant who is mentioned in the city's tax records from 1382.
During the Renaissance period, the Riegel name gained prominence in the German states. In the 16th century, Caspar Riegel (1540-1617) was a renowned mathematician and astronomer who served as a professor at the University of Tübingen.
The Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) saw the Riegel family spread across different parts of Europe. One notable figure from this time was Hans Riegel (1602-1672), a military officer who fought for the Protestant cause during the conflict.
In the 18th century, the Riegel surname was well-established in various regions of Germany, with several notable individuals bearing the name. Johann Riegel (1705-1785) was a prominent theologian and philosopher who taught at the University of Halle, while Johann Philipp Riegel (1748-1818) was a celebrated architect who designed numerous buildings in the city of Frankfurt.
As the Industrial Revolution took hold in the 19th century, the Riegel family played a role in the development of various industries. August Riegel (1829-1901) was a successful industrialist who founded the Riegel Paper Mills in Essen, which became one of the largest paper manufacturers in Germany.
Overall, the Riegel surname has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval Germany, with connections to various occupations, professions, and regions throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Riegel
Among Census respondents with the surname Riegel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Riegel bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Riegel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 3,197
- Two or more races3.6% · 124
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 83
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 27
- Black or African American0.2% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Riegel
Riegel appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#8,345
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,967
+192 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Down 255 places
2020
#9,115
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,445
-522 bearers (-13.2%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 770 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,090 | 3,775 | 1.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,345 | 3,967 | 1.34 | +192 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 255 places |
| 2020 | #9,115 | 3,445 | 1.15 | -522 bearers (-13.2%) | Down 770 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Riegel surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,345 | #9,115 | -9.2% |
| Count | 3,967 | 3,445 | -13.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.34 | 1.15 | -14.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Riegel bearers went from 3,967 to 3,445 (-13.2% change). The surname moved down 770 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,345 to #9,115.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Riegel
FAQ
Riegel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Riegel?
Name Census estimates that about 3,950 living Americans carry the surname Riegel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,773 residents.
How common is Riegel?
Riegel ranks #9,115 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,445 people with the surname Riegel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,950), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Riegel.
Has Riegel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Riegel went from 3,967 recorded bearers to 3,445. That is a decrease of 522 (-13.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,345 to #9,115.
What does the Census say about the background of Riegel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Riegel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Riegel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (3,197 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Riegel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (2.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Riegel (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Riegel mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of bolts or locks. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Riegel (1.15 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Riegel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.