Riegel
A German surname most likely tied to the word for a bar, bolt, or latch, or to a nickname based on that word.
The #8,345 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 77,828 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Riegel is generally connected with German Riegel, meaning a bar, bolt, or latch. In surname use, that kind of word could point to someone identified by a physical feature, a habit, a place, or a house sign rather than a direct occupation. Some older writers also grouped it with short forms and nickname patterns from names built on Ric-/Reich- elements, so the exact origin may vary by family line.
History
The name appears in German surname material from the 19th and early 20th centuries, where it is treated as a fairly ordinary German family name. It is found in both Germany and German-speaking areas of Switzerland, and later spread through migration to North America and elsewhere. Because similar-looking surnames were sometimes linked by older scholars on phonetic grounds, individual family branches may not share one single source.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books sometimes analyzed Riegel alongside a cluster of similar names like Riechel, Reichel, and Reigel, showing how easily German surnames could shift by sound and spelling over time.
From the historical record
“Vklf. (1): Riechel (Riechelmann) — Riegel — Reichel; Reichle — Reigel — Reil, Gen. Riegels. Patr. A. Reichling, (l -}- n) : Reichlin. (z) Richizo, Rizo: Rietsch — Ritxe; Riss, (z + k) : Rietschke — Ritx- ehen. (z + i) : Rietschel — Ritxel;”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen