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| Origins Available: |
| | Germany |
The Ritt 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.
The surname Ritt 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.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ritt 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 Ritt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Ritt include Ritter, Ritther, Rytter, Ryther, Ridder, Rider, Rhitter and many more.
During this period prominent bearers of the name Ritt were
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 Ritt or a variant listed above: