Surname Rieppel - Meaning and Origin

Rieppel: What does the surname Rieppel mean?

The last name Rieppel is of German origin and is thought to be topographical in nature. It is derived from the German word “ruppen”, which means a “plot of land scattered with stones”. This topographical feature was used to designate an area of land, and the name was adopted by individuals and families living in these areas. The name Rieppel then became an inheritance to the descendents of those individuals and families.

The most notable bearer of the name was German zoologist and paleontologist Louis Rieppel, who lived in the 19th century. His notable work includes the study of fossil turtles, which had detailed information about their form and functional anatomy, and the studies of other extinct reptiles.

Today, the Rieppel surname is mainly found in Germany, but it is also distributed throughout the remainder of Europe and in the United States. It is a common name across Europe, with many individuals bearing the name. Although the true origin of the name Rieppel is unknown, there is evidence to suggest that it is a topographical surname, possibly derived from the German word “ruppen", which means a plot of land scattered with stones.

Rieppel: Where does the name Rieppel come from?

The last name Rieppel is most commonly found today in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the United States. The name is derived from a Old German word “Rippel”, which means “ripple”, so it could be a reference to people who lived near a body of water or worked in a river-related profession.

In the United States, the highest concentrations of the Rieppel surname can be found in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and California. This indicates that many Rieppels migrated to the US from Germany in the 19th century, during the period of German emigration. Many of these US-based Rieppels are the descendants of German settlers who had originally come from regions of Germany along the Rhine river, such as the Palatinate and Bavaria.

In Germany, the name Rieppel is mainly concentrated in the Bavarian region of southern Germany. The name is also quite common in the neighboring countries of Austria and Switzerland, although to a lesser degree than in Germany. The Rieppel surname can also be found in some other regions of western Europe, such as Belgium and the Netherlands.

Overall, the Rieppel surname is still a rather common name, especially in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, where it can be found in relatively high numbers. It is also present in the United States, where its presence is mainly concentrated in the states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and California.

Variations of the surname Rieppel

The surname Rieppel is of German origins and dates back to the medieval period. It was commonly found in the regions of Germany, Switzerland, and Austria and various spellings of the name can be found in these regions. Some of the spellings and variants of the surname include Riebel, Riebels, Rieble, Riebles, Rippel, Riepel, and Ripel.

Variations of the name also developed in other countries, such as the United States, when families with the surname emigrated to new countries. Some of these variations include Reibel, Reible, Reibels, Reippel, and Reppel.

In addition, many members of the same family that had the surname Rieppel also adopted different surnames with a similar meaning. Examples of surnames in the same family include Reiff, Reif, Reiffel, Reifarth, Reyer, Rieffer, and Reiffenstein.

The most common variation of the surname today is a combination of the three main variants, Riebel, Rieble, and Rippel. Many people today have taken the surname Ripell, which is a combination of the three variants.

Overall, the surname Rieppel has been modified and adapted over centuries of geographic and cultural movement, leading to the numerous variants and spellings of the surname that we see today.

Famous people with the name Rieppel

• Oskar Rieppel: A German-American evolutionary biologist and paleontologist who was a professor of Biology at Wesleyan University until his retirement in 1995.
• Claus Rieppel: A zoologist and herpetologist who is currently the Professor in the Departments of Zoology and Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley.
• August Rieppel: An early 20th-century German playwright known for his plays about agrarian life.
• Oskar Rieppel: A German historian and professor of history at the University of Marburg from 1927-1942.
• Matthieu Rieppel: A German-American physicist and computer scientist who currently serves as the director of the Information and Technology Management Department at Stony Brook University, New York.
• Wolfgang Rieppel: An Austrian ==German art historian who specializes in 19th century European painting and sculpture.
• Heinz-Joachim Rieppel: A German glass artist and professor at the Alberta College of Art & Design in Canada.
• Felix Rieppel: A German musicologist and professor of musicology at the University of Rostock, Germany.
• Heinrich Ernst Rieppel: A German archaeologist and historian who served as professor of Medieval History and Greek Archaeology at the University of Königsberg until his retirement in 1887.
• Rieppel Oberbeck: A German-American portrait painter who is remembered as one of the most important portrait painters in the 19th century United States.

Other surnames

Riepp