Explore the Family Name Rieck

The meaning of Rieck

1. South German: from a pet form of the personal name Ru(o)diger, a compound of Old High German hrōd ‘fame, renown’ + gēr ‘spear, lance’ (see Roger). 2. North German: from a short form of a personal name containing the element rīc ‘power(ful)’. 3. Germanized form of Sorbian Rjek: nickname from Upper Sorbian rjek ‘hero’. Compare Reck.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Rieck in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Rieck fell slightly in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Rieck was ranked as the 10,196th most popular surname, but it slipped to 11,132nd place by 2010, a change of -9.18%. The number of individuals with this last name also decreased from 2,902 to 2,847 during this period, marking a -1.9% change. Consequently, the proportion of people named Rieck per 100,000 people declined by -10.19%.

20002010Change
Rank#10,196#11,132-9.18%
Count2,9022,847-1.9%
Proportion per 100k1.080.97-10.19%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Rieck

Regarding ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census reveals some changes for those with the surname Rieck between 2000 and 2010. There was a significant increase in the percentage of Asians/Pacific Islanders and Hispanics having this surname, with growth rates of 91.67% and 70.83%, respectively. The group of people identifying with two or more ethnicities also saw an uptick from 0.69% to 0.74%. Meanwhile, the percentage of white individuals with this surname experienced a small decrease from 98.00% to 97.33%. There were no Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native individuals recorded with the surname Rieck in either year.

20002010Change
White98%97.33%-0.68%
Hispanic0.72%1.23%70.83%
Two or More Races0.69%0.74%7.25%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.24%0.46%91.67%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%

Rieck ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Rieck is French & German, which comprises 38.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (33.3%) and Scandinavian (8.7%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Ashkenazi Jewish, Spanish & Portuguese, Italian, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
French & German38.6%
British & Irish33.3%
Scandinavian8.7%
Other19.3%
Rieck

Possible origins of the surname Rieck

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Rieck have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Glasgow City, United Kingdom73.10%
Greater London, United Kingdom73.10%
Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom73.10%
Merseyside, United Kingdom73.10%
Lancashire, United Kingdom73.10%

What Rieck haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Rieck is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Rieck surname are: H1, H, K1. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

rieckPaternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham

One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Rieck have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Rieck

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Rieck" Surname 36.0%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Rieck

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Rieck" Surname 33.3%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Rieck

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Rieck" Surname 20.0%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Rieck

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Rieck" Surname 16.9%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Rieck?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Rieck are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

French & German 60.8%

23andMe Users 57.2%