Surname Riefer - Meaning and Origin
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Riefer: What does the surname Riefer mean?
The last name Riefer is of German origin. It is a habitational and topographic name derived from the Middle High German riːf meaning ‘reef’, ‘edge’ or ‘shore’. This name was likely given to someone who lived on or near a body of water, or to someone who owned or worked land by a shore or another physical edge.
The Riefer surname exists both as a family name around the world and as a place name. As a family name, Riefer is most common in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the United States but is also found in other parts of the world such as Canada, South Africa and Brazil.
The Riefer name can be found in genealogical records dating back to the 12th century in Germany. Records have been found of a Adam von Riffer of Waldorf in the year 1160, and mention of another Riefer from Wittlich in 1183. Early emigrants to the United States with the Riefer surname were of German and Austrian descent, settling mainly in Pennsylvania and other east coast states.
The spelling of the Riefer name has changed over the course of the years. Common spelling variations have included Reifer, Refur, Rieffer, Riefer, Reiffer, Rehaber and many more.
The Riefer name is now shared by many people across the globe whose ancestors have been called by this name for hundreds of years, reaching back across generations to early times in Germany.
Order DNA origin analysisRiefer: Where does the name Riefer come from?
The last name Riefer is most commonly found in Germany. It is believed to have originated in the northwestern region, though records suggest it could have emerged in different areas of the country. In recent years, the Riefer family is most commonly found in Western Europe, and in North America, particularly in the US and Canada.
In Germany, Riefer is typically a lower class name, deriving from the noun Riffe meaning “fray”, or “shred”. It has been suggested it was a metonymic occupational name, possibly for someone who cut up cloth or furs. Records show that the earliest known Riefer was from Alemannic Germany in the early 1000s. It then spread as a regional surname in Hesse, Upper Franconia and Thuringia states.
Early records in US suggest the first Riefers arrived in America during the 1700s, typically from immigrant communities in the German Palatinate region. Later, many German-American immigrants sparsely settled in the mid-West, Ohio, Missouri, and Wisconsin.
Today, the last name Riefer is still fairly wide-spread in Germany, but is largely confined to the North-Western region. In the US, the Riefer surname is ranked fairly low on the list of most common last names. According to the 2000 census, the most common states with individuals having the last name Riefer are Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Kentucky.
Variations of the surname Riefer
The surname Riefer, also spelled Ryfers, Ryefers, Rieffer, Rhyfers, Riefers, Ryfers, Rüfers, Riefler, Ryffeler, Ryffer, Ruffels and Röfers, all refer to a nickname derived from the Germanic "Rieb" meaning “strong.”
The surname Riefer and its variations can be found across Germany, Austria, and parts of Switzerland. It is believed to have started in northern Germany in what is now Lower Saxony, and is thought to have expanded to other parts of the country as people migrated to cities.
Riefers is the most common spelling of this surname found today in modern Germany, but variations are also found. In some cases, such as Röfers, the spelling is slightly different due to regional dialect.
In the United States, the spelling is often Americanized to Ryfer, Ryfers, or simply Riefers. In areas with large ethnic German communities like Minnesota, variations of the name such as Rifers can be found.
Numerous spelling variations of Riefer were also found during the 16th-18th century in early church records such as Riever, Riffer, Ryver, Ryffer, Reever, Räfers, Rhyfer and Ruyvers.
Riefer is also a common prefix for some German surnames, such as Warrigerfers, Riefferle, Rieffeler, or Kroneriefer. It is also found as a first name in some variations, such as Reichaerfer and Rehafers.
In summary, Riefer is an ancient Germanic nickname for "strong" which is found in many spelling variations across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and North America. The variations of this surname often depend on the regional dialect and can even be adapted as a first name or prefix for other German surnames.
Famous people with the name Riefer
- Michael Riefer: Award-winning American screenwriter, director, and producer.
- Amanda Riefer: American singer-songwriter of folk and pop music.
- D.C. Riefer: American actor and television host with a career spanning over 30 years in regional and national television and commercial advertising.
- Robert Riefer: Austrian-American basketball player who played in the Austrian Basketball Bundesliga.
- Christopher Riefer: American voice actor and theatre director with credits on Broadway and off-Broadway.
- Rudy Riefer: Award-winning American composer and multi-instrumentalist.
- Michael Riefer: Master of Wine and vintner from Northern California, best known for his collection of Pinot Noirs.
- Johannes Riefer: German composer, pianist, and musical director who has worked on several soundtracks for films and television.
- Charles Riefer: American professor emeritus of philosophy at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
- Jacob Riefer: 17th-century German organist and composer who had some of his music published in various collections.