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Richter History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Richter History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

A multitude of prestigious family names, such as the surname Richter, were formed in the lands which became the modern German state of Prussia, which is known for its beauty, industry and military power. However, in the medieval era, Prussia was fragmented and inhabited by numerous barbarian tribes, who fought amongst themselves for control of the land. The borders of the barbarian kingdoms, which were established after the fall of the Roman Empire, changed repeatedly. The region that came to be known as Prussia was roughly divided between the territories of Brandenburg-Prussia, West Prussia and East Prussia. The Richter family emerged in Brandenburg-Prussia, and by the 19th century, Brandenburg-Prussia had incorporated East Prussia, West Prussia and many other German territories. Moreover, in the late 19th century, it led the German states in the German Unification.

Early Origins of the Richter family

The surname Richter was first found in Brandenburg, where this family became a prominent contributor to the development of the district from ancient times. Always prominent in social affairs, the name became an integral part of that turbulent region as it emerged to form alliances with other families within the feudal system.

Early History of the Richter family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Richter research. Another 129 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1676, 1682, 1702, 1711, 1732, 1749, 1755, 1763, 1767, 1803, 1813, 1825 and 1884 are included under the topic Early Richter History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Richter Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Richter include Richter, Ricter, Rickter, Rychter, Rycter and many more.

Early Notables of the Richter family

Notable figures of the time with the name Richter were

Christoph, or Christian, Friedrich Richter (1676-1711), a German hymnwriter and entomologist; and Johann Paul Richter (1763-1825), one of the most important and popular German writers of the early 19t...
Christian Richter (c. 1682-1732), was an English miniature-painter, son of a silversmith at Stockholm. About 1702 he came to England, where he was patronized by his fellow countryman, Michael Dahl. He...

Richter Ranking

In the United States, the name Richter is the 1,338^th most popular surname with an estimated 22,383 people with that name. 1 However, in Australia, the name Richter is ranked the 966^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,107 people with that name. 2

Richter migration to the United States +

Prussia played an extremely influential role in shaping modern German history. It remained a part of Germany until after the Second World War. Prussia was divided among the Soviet Union, Poland, East Germany and West Germany. Many Prussians became residents of these new countries after the War, and many migrated to other parts of Germany or Europe, as well as to North America. In the United States, the majority of settlers landed in Philadelphia, and moved on to Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. Many German settlers also migrated to Canada, particularly to Ontario and the Prairies. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Richter were

Richter Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Eberwein Richter, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1709 3
Andreas Richter, who arrived in New York State in 1710
Andreas Richter, aged 47, who arrived in New York in 1710 3
Hans Jacob Richter, who landed in Virginia in 1714 3
Joanis Richter, aged 26, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1734 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Richter Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jan Hendk Richter, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1805 3
Peter Richter, who immigrated to New Orleans in 1820
Ernst Stef Richter, who landed in North America in 1832-1849 3
Karoline Richter, aged 30, who landed in America in 1839 3
John Richter, aged 38, who arrived in Missouri in 1844 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Richter migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Richter Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Daniel Richter, aged 39, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1902
Emilie Richter, aged 2, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1902
Lydia Richter, aged 9, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1902
Regina Richter, aged 33, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1902

Richter migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Richter Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Heinrich Fried. Wilhelm Richter, aged 26, who arrived in South Australia in 1847 aboard the ship "Hermann von Beckerath" 4
Martin Richter, aged 19, a shepherd, who arrived in South Australia in 1848 aboard the ship "Victoria" 5
F.W. Richter, aged 38, a carpenter, who arrived in South Australia in 1848 aboard the ship "Alfred" 6
Henry Richter, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "The Stratheden" in 1850 7
Charlotte Richter, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "The Stratheden" in 1850 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Richter (post 1700) +

Gerhard Richter (b. 1932), German visual artist, one of the pioneers of the New European Painting, some of his works have sold for between 34 and 44 million dollars
Mary Kaye Richter (1946-2023), American founder of the National Foundation for Ectodermal Dysplasias which has raised more than $3.6 million to fund research at more than 40 medical facilities around the world
Allen Gordon "Al" Richter (1927-2017), American Major League Baseball shortstop for the Boston Red Sox (1951-1953)
Ryan Richter (b. 1989), American soccer player
Conrad Michael Richter (1890-1968), American author awarded the 1951 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the 1961 National Book Award for Fiction
Burton Richter (b. 1931), American physicist shared the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1976
Charles Francis Richter (1900-1985), American seismologist, who developed the Richter magnitude scale (Richter scale) to assign a single number to quantify the energy that is released during an earthquake
First Lieutenant Karl Wendell Richter (1942-1967), American fighter pilot during the Vietnam War; at the age of 23 he was the youngest pilot in that conflict to shoot down a MiG in air-to-air combat and was awarded the Air Force Cross in 1967 8
Hans Richter (1959-2023), German footballer who played as a forward (1977-2000)
Caspar Richter (1944-2023), German Chief Conductor of the Vereinigte Bühnen Wien for 23 years
... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Richter family +

Bismarck

Willi Richter (1920-1941), German Matrosengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 9
Werner Richter (1920-1941), German Matrosenobergefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 9
Karl Ludwig Richter (1913-1941), German Oberleutnant (Ing.) who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 9
Heinz Richter (1920-1941), German Maschinengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 9
Gerhard Richter (1916-1941), German Feuerwerksmaat who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 9
... (Another 5 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Flight TWA 800

Miss. Noemie Richter (1981-1996), from Brousse, France, French passenger flying aboard flight TWA 800 from J.F.K. Airport, New York to Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Rome when the plane crashed after takeoff ; she died in the crash 10
Miss. Anne-Lyse Richter (1979-1996), from Brousse, France, French passenger flying aboard flight TWA 800 from J.F.K. Airport, New York to Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Rome when the plane crashed after takeoff ; she died in the crash 10

HMAS Sydney II

Mr. Arthur John Richter (1900-1941), Australian Acting Supply Petty Officer from Culcairn, New South Wales, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 11

USS Arizona

Mr. Albert Wallace Richter, American Coxswain working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 12

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HERMANN VON BECKERATH 1847. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1847HermanVonBeckerath.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) VICTORIA 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Victoria.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ALFRED 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Alfred.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The STRATHEDEN 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Stratheden.htm
Karl Richter. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Karl Richter. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_W._Richter
Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details
The Washington Post Passenger List TWA Flight 800. (Retrieved 2018, February 15th). Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/twa800/list01.htm
HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html