Ryter History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The Ryter 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 Ryter family

The surname Ryter was first found in Austria, where this family name 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 and the nation.

Early History of the Ryter family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ryter research. Another 232 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1262, 1588, 1616, 1645, 1663, 1725, 1737, 1759, 1779, 1791, 1812, 1833, 1849, 1859, 1869, 1896 and 1926 are included under the topic Early Ryter History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ryter 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 Ryter include Ritter, Ritther, Rytter, Ryther, Ridder, Rider, Rhitter and many more.

Early Notables of the Ryter family

During this period prominent bearers of the name Ryter were Christian Ritter (c. 1645-1725?), German composer and organist of the North German organ school; Heinrich Ritter (1791-1869), who was a German historian of philosophy born in Zerbst. He taught at Goettingen for thirty years. Karl...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ryter Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ryter migration to the United States +

Austria was made a republic after the First World War. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was broken up by the Treaty of Versailles and many of its people found themselves in the new nation of Czechoslovakia. Many other Austrians and expatriate Austrians made their way to North America in the 20th century. Most landed in Philadelphia, later continuing on to the states of Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. Some Austrian settlers also went to western Canada and Ontario. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Ryter or a variant listed above:

Ryter Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Henrick Ryter, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 1
Paulus Ryter, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1732 1
Johann Gottfried Ryter, who settled in Philadelphia in 1754

Contemporary Notables of the name Ryter (post 1700) +

Joseph Francis Ryter (1914-1978), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Connecticut, 1940; U.S. Representative from Connecticut at-large, 1945-47; Defeated, 1946 2

Citations +

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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html