Reis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
From the historical and enchanting region of France emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Reis family. Originally, the French people were known only by a single name. The process by which hereditary surnames were adopted in France is extremely interesting. Surnames evolved during the Middle Ages when people began to assume an extra name to avoid confusion and to further identify themselves. Often they adopted names that were derived from nicknames. Nickname surnames were derived from an eke-name, or added name. They usually reflected the physical characteristics or attributes of the first person that used the name. The name Reis is a nickname type of surname for a person of regal bearing or a person who played a king in a local festival. Looking back further, we find the name Reis was derived from the Old French word "roy," meaning "king."
Early Origins of the Reis family
The surname Reis was first found in Burgundy (French: Bourgogne), an administrative and historical region of east-central France, where the family has held a family seat since ancient times.
Early History of the Reis family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Reis research. Another 148 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1098, 1306, 1330, 1470, 1533, 1570, 1583, 1645, 1726 and 1803 are included under the topic Early Reis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Reis Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Ray, Rays, Raie, Raies, Raye, Rayes, Rée, Rées, Rait, Rey, Reys, Rei, Reis, Duray, Leray, De Laray, Laray, du Ray, de Ray, Delurey and many more.
Early Notables of the Reis family
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Reis Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Reis Ranking
In the United States, the name Reis is the 3,304th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Reis is ranked the 8,188th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2
Reis migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Reis Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Daniel Reis went to Philadelphia in 1737
- Johan Hend Reis, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1738 3
- Margaret Reis, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1748 3
- Conradt Reis, aged 43, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1748 3
Reis Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Daniel Reis, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1804 3
- Frans Frederich Reis, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1804 3
- Frederick Reis, aged 10, who landed in Connecticut in 1812 3
- Henry Reis, aged 12, who landed in Connecticut in 1812 3
- Lowe Reis, who arrived in North America in 1832-1849 3
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Reis Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- Adolf Reis, who landed in America in 1905 3
Contemporary Notables of the name Reis (post 1700) +
- Chris Reis (b. 1983), American football safety
- Ronald Allen "Ron" Reis (b. 1970), American professional wrestler
- Irving Reis (1906-1953), American radio program producer & director, and a film director
- Matt Reis (b. 1975), American soccer player
- Ronni Reis (b. 1966), American tennis player
- Horace S. Reis, American politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Pennsylvania, 1916 4
- David Reis, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for South Dakota State House of Representatives 21st District, 2010 4
- Alvin C. Reis (d. 1956), American politician, Circuit Judge in Wisconsin 9th Circuit, 1954-56; Died in office 1956 4
- Antônio Carlos Konder Reis (1924-2018), Brazilian politician
- Selma Reis (1960-2015), Brazilian actress and singer
- ... (Another 13 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Historic Events for the Reis family +
Bismarck
- Wilhelm Reis (1908-1941), German Oberfunkmeister who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 5
The Reis Motto +
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Gracieuseté de Ray
Motto Translation: The graciousness of Ray
Citations +
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
- 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, December 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details