Surname Rieffert - Meaning and Origin

Rieffert: What does the surname Rieffert mean?

The last name Rieffert is of German origin from the Frisian region of Germany. It is believed to have originated as a personal name of an ancestor. Meaning of the name is debated but it could have come from combinations of German words such as rief (edge, border) or riefen (furrow, furrows) and furt (way) to mean "living at the edge of the way or furrow."

This was likely the way that original Riefferts lived, picking up denoted from the land such as farming. Over time the name officially settled on the spelling of Rieffert.

In the past, the term Rieffert was used with different spellings - Riefert, Rievert, Riefer, Riever, etc. It is sometimes also be heard to this day in non-standard spelling variations such as Rieffen and Riefen.

Riefferts were most likely members of the common folk like weaver and farmers. During the 1700s the name was associated primarily with the villages of Boen, Iserlohn, and Tetenboom in the eastern part of Germany near the present day.

In the late 1800s, Rieffert family members are recorded emigrating from Germany to America. Today descendants of the original Riefferts still bear the name and are based all around the world. By definition they bear true to the meaning of the name living ‘at the edge of the way’ by adapting and making the best of ever changing circumstances.

Rieffert: Where does the name Rieffert come from?

The last name Rieffert is mainly found in Germany and the surrounding countries in Central Europe. It's also becoming increasingly popular in the United States and parts of Canada.

In Germany, the surname Rieffert is most concentrated in the northern states including Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Hamburg, and Bremen. In the United States, the name Rieffert is most popular in Texas, California, New York, Wisconsin, and Utah. It's also becoming prevalent in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and British Columbia.

Outside of Germany and North America, the surname Rieffert is quite rare; however, there are small clusters of the name found in small communities in Argentina, Cuba, Mexico, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

genealogy websites, such as Forebears, Ancestry, and MyHeritage, to find out more about the current popularity of the Rieffert surname in specific locations. With these tools, you can also create a map of Rieffert family locations.

It's quite likely that the name Rieffert has its origins in the Rhineland region of Germany. The surname Rieffert can be traced back to the 18th century, around the time when German immigration to the United States began.

Variations of the surname Rieffert

Rieffert is a German surname that is believed to be derived from the German words “Rief” meaning “edge” or “ridge” and “Fert” meaning “firm”. The most common variants of this surname are Reiffert, Riffert, Reifert, and Riefert. Other slightly less common spellings include Reifert, Reiffert, Reiffter, Riefalter, Riefetter, and Rievert.

The origin of the surname is believed to be in the Middle High German region sometime after the 14th century. Although it is a relatively uncommon surname today, it is believed to have been more widespread in the past.

Variants of the surname are generally common in Germany, Austria, and various parts of eastern Europe. For example, there is a village in Northern Germany called Rieffel which is thought to have been named after its first inhabitants who were likely Riefferts.

In the United States, some immigrants have altered the spelling of their surnames to Reiffer, Rifer, Reffer, and Riffer. There are, however, many variants that still maintain the original spelling.

In Australia, the name is often Anglicized and spelled with a double “f”. For instance, some immigrants there have gone by the surname Reiffert.

Throughout Europe the surname is often found in areas where people of German descent reside, particularly in the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Hungary, and Romania. The version of this surname in French is often spelled as Rieffot.

All of these variants are thought to originate from the same one and all share the same meaning of "ridge" or "edge" and "firm".

Famous people with the name Rieffert

• Chris Rieffert: American performance artist, actor, lyricist, dancer, and choreographer
• Max Rieffert: Former professional soccer player who played for Borussia Dortmund
• Tina Rieffert: German actress, singer and dancer
• Johannes Rieffert: German composer, musicologist, and music critic
• John Rieffert: American computer game developer
• Hans Rieffert: German zoologist and ornithologist
• Joseph Rieffert: American boxer
• Jan Rieffert: Dutch novelist and poet
• Sophie Rieffert: German actress and director
• Sven Rieffert: German painter, sculptor, and installation artist

Other surnames

RieffelRieffenstahlRieffers