Surname Reiffs - Meaning and Origin
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Reiffs: What does the surname Reiffs mean?
The last name Reiffs is of Germanic and Jewish origin. It is a localized or a regional variation of the Germanic surname Rieff, which is derived from the word "rift", meaning trench or furrow. This name likely would have been taken on by individuals who worked with the soil or either lived alongside furrows or trenches, which could explain why it is associated with both Germanic and Jewish populations.
Additionally, the surname Reiffs can be found as an alternative spelling of other Germanic and Jewish surnames, such as Rief, Riefs, Rieffs, and Riefes.
The surname Reiffs belongs to a larger group of German and Jewish surnames that all mean "furrow or trench," or are related to earthwork-related professions. This group includes surnames such as Riff, Raff, and Reb.
The Reiffs surname is linked to farming and agricultural activity, and indicates a rural background. It could have initially been used to designate individuals living close to furrows or ridges; even today, people with the surname may have inherited this status.
The Reiffs surname is also found in Jewish populations, double indicating that this name comes from a strong, deep-rooted history. The Reiffs surname is still very common in Germany and certain areas of the United States like Pennsylvania.
Order DNA origin analysisReiffs: Where does the name Reiffs come from?
The last name Reiffs is a German surname with origins tracing back to the Rhineland of Germany. It was created in the Middle Ages, based off of a topographical location or place name. Today, it is one of the more common German surnames, with over 3,000 people having it in Germany.
In modern society, the last name Reiffs is most commonly found within German and Eastern European countries, particularly in Poland and Ukraine, with people having family and cultural connections in this region. International travelers or refugees that traveled around the globe also took this name with them, and it can be found in many different countries, like the United States, Canada, Australia, and even South Africa.
The main concentration of Reiffs families is believed to be in Germany, where the majority of people with this last name live. In particular, the cities of Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, and Frankfurt have some of the highest populations of people with the Reiffs surname. Additionally, cities like Bremen, Kiel, and Hannover also have high concentrations of this family name.
Overall, the last name Reiffs is a fairly common German and Eastern European surname, although its highest concentrations can be found in Germany, particularly in the larger cities.
Variations of the surname Reiffs
The surname Reiffs is believed to be of German origin and may be spelled without the 'f' as 'Reis', 'Reiss', 'Reisser' or 'Rhees'. The Reiff spelling is likely derived from the German prefix ‘reif’, which means ‘refined or mature’. It is also possible that the surname Reiff is derived from the German name Rieb or Rife and may be spelled as Reib or Rife.
Reiff or Reis is also found in Dutch and Jewish records. The Dutch spelling is usually Reijs or Rees and the Jewish spelling is usually Rhees.
Variations of the Reiffs surname include Reifs, Reipes, Reis, Reiss, Reisse, Reisser, Reisz, Reubes, Reubers, Reyffs, Rhees, Rieb, Rife, and Riae. There may also be surnames from other countries with similar spellings, such as Ryff, Ryf, or Rif.
The Reiffs surname is likely to have many different spellings due to a variety of factors, such as illiteracy, language and spelling differences, different countries of origin, and even simple misspellings by officials while recording names in documents.
Famous people with the name Reiffs
- Staci Reiff: a former professional volleyball player who was selected as an AVCA All-America selection in 2011.
- Kari Reiff: an animator and artist who has won numerous awards for her work on various cartoon series, video games, and animated films.
- Caren Reiff: an artist and illustrator, most notably for the Emmy-winning Netflix series “BoJack Horseman”.
- Benjamin Reiff: an American lawyer and professor at the Harvard Law School.
- Tod Reiff: a founding partner and executive chairman of the Emmi Roth USA family dairy business.
- Robert Reiff: a Nobel laureate in physics who was also the co-founder of the Materials Research Institute at Penn State.
- Zachery Reiff: a former NASCAR driver and participant in the 2008 Daytona 500.
- Matthew Reiff: an American entrepreneur and founder of the software engineering firm RightScale.
- Robert Reiff: a classical music conductor and professor of music at the University of Michigan.
- William Reiff: a former U.S. Supreme Court Justice who served from 1937-1953.