Surname Reuß - Meaning and Origin

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Reuß: What does the surname Reuß mean?

The last name Reuß is German in origin and is primarily found in the region of Germany known as Thuringia (or Thüringen). It is derived from a specific noble family, the House of Reuß, that traces its lineage back to both the Saxon region and various duchies in Thuringia.

The Reuß family first began to rise in prominence during the German Peasants’ War of the 16th century. During this time, the family held titles in several German lands, such as Count, Prince, and even Grand Duke. In present times, the Reuß family continues to hold their titles within the Holy Roman Empire and is now known more formally as the Reuss of Greiz.

The name Reuß is an important symbol of Thuringian heritage, the state emblem of which incorporates a coat of arms of the Reuß family. It appears in many other important places, including as part of the University of Jena’s coat of arms.

In terms of etymology, the word Reuß is derived from the Old German “reuz”, which means “rod” or “sceptre”. This is believed to underscore the power and strength the family had in its early days, when it held positions within the governance of Central Europe.

The Reuß name is an important symbol in German history and remains an important part of the cultural heritage of Thuringia. Today, many people who bear the name Reuß continue the family's proud legacy by contributing to the preservation of German history.

Reuß: Where does the name Reuß come from?

The last name Reuß is most commonly found in the German state of Thuringia, but can also be found in other German-speaking countries and areas, such as Austria, Switzerland, and small parts of southern Poland. Records of the Reuß surname have been traced by family historians all the way back to the 1500s and 1680s when it first appeared in records in both Thuringia and northern Bavaria. To this day, as many as 420,000 people bearing the last name Reuß have been found and are still present in Germany. Additionally, scattered pockets of the name can be found in Belgium, France, and even the United States.

People with the surname of Reuß trace their origins to the House of Reuß, an old and historically recognized noble dynasty that was mentioned in German records around 1608, and eventually included numerous counts and princes. The ancestor of the House of Reuß was a man named Konrad Reuß who was from an old farmer’s family in Thuringia. The Reuß family had its bitterest moment in 1918 when, due to a law passed by the Weimar Republic stating that all titles of nobility should be discarded, the royalty of the House of Reuß was abolished.

Despite the displacement of royalty, the Reuß name remains a fairly widespread moniker throughout German-speaking countries. As an example, one of the last Reuß princes, Heinrich XXIV Reuß, is a well-known German attorney, politician, and former state minister-president who is reaching 50 years of service in public life, and still retains the Reuß last name despite the end of the imperial rule. But most commonly, the Reuß name is used as a reference to the Counts and prices of the House of Reuß, and is still used proudly in many German-speaking countries today.

Variations of the surname Reuß

The Reuß surname is derived from the German word Reus and is most commonly borne by members of a noble family of the former German states of Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt. This branch of the House of Wettin claims descent from the medieval Germanic tribe of the Sorbs, and it was established in 1229 by count Heinrich, who was given the lordship of Weida, Gera, and Plauen by the Wettin emperor.

Variants of the Reuß surname include the German surnames Reuss, Reuße, Reußen, Reußer, and Reusser. The spelling of the name is also found in many other forms such as von Reuss, von Reiss, von Reuß, von Reusser, von Reußer, and von Reussen, which denote nobility.

In different parts of the world, the name is also spelled differently. In some American locations, the surnames Reuss, Rueß, Reusser, and Rueßer are found. In Dutch cities, the spellings Reuss, Reußen, and Reusser can be found. In French locations, the spellings Reus, Reuss, and Reusser are found. In Polish locations, the surname is found as Reuss.

Furthermore, in Austria, many of the Reuss family members have taken on variations of the name such as Reussl, Reussner, Reussdörfer, and Reussegger.

In addition, there are also many variations of the Reuß surname found in different dialects, with such spellings as Repsch, Repsch, Bepper, Bopper, Repe, Reppe, Reppen, Riepe, and Reepken.

In conclusion, the variations of the Reuß surname are numerous, spanning from locations all over the world and dialects.

Famous people with the name Reuß

• Henry Reuss:former US Congressman
• Lorenz Reuss: German politician belonging to the Free Democratic Party, who served as Federal Minister of the Interior of West Germany in 1951/52
• Gösta Reuss: Swedish-born German artist and sculptor
• Gebhard Leberecht von Reuss: Prussian Generalfeldmarschall
• Wilhelmine von Reuss: German princess
• Frederick Augustus Reuss: Swiss artist and photographer
• Heinrich Albert Reuss: German animal painter
• Fritz Reuss: German actor
• Gertrud Reuss: German actress
• Johann Reinhard Reuss: German classical scholar and philologist
• Adolf Reuss: German Protestant theologian
• Julian Reuss-Belce: Romanian-American researcher in the field of forensics and medical entomology
• Johanna Reuss-Belce: Romanian-American researcher in the field of forensic and medical entomology
• Elinor Reuss-Schmidt: Czech-Canadian psychologist, author, and activist
• Helmut Reuss: German economist
• Maximilian Reuss: German Protestant theologian
• Ludwig Reuss: German classical scholar and archaeologist
• Emil Reuss: German lawyer and teacher
• Harry Reuss: German sports official
• Philipp Reuss: Swiss painter, graphic artist, and photographer

Other surnames

Reuße