Riter History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

The Riter surname is derived from the Middle High German word "rîter," which means "horseback rider" or "knight." It is thus likely that the first people to adopt this as a surname were either knights or descendants of knights.

Early Origins of the Riter family

The surname Riter was first found in Austria, where this family became a prominent contributor to the development of the district from ancient times. Chronicles first mention Johann and Heinrich Riter of Ravensberg in 1326, Joerg Reiterer of Tirol in 1538, and Nicolaus Reyterer of Bruenn in 1365. The literal meaning of the word is "horseman," and is also related to the word "Ritter" which means "knight." 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 and the nation.

Early History of the Riter family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Riter research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1792 is included under the topic Early Riter History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Riter Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Reiter, Reitter, Reither, Reitther, Reitterer, Reiter, Reiterer, Reyterer, Reyter, Reitel and many more.

Early Notables of the Riter family

Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Riter Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Riter Ranking

In the United States, the name Riter is the 18,480^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Riter migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Riter Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mekell Riter, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1737 2
Phill Joel Riter, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1737 2
George Riter, who landed in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania in 1745 2

Riter migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Riter Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Hyronimus Riter U.E. who settled in St. Andrews, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Riter (post 1700) +

Franklin Riter, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Utah, 1948, 1952 4

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 30) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html