Show ContentsReist History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

From the historical and enchanting region of France emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Reist 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 Reist 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 Reist was derived from the Old French word "roy," meaning "king."

Early Origins of the Reist family

The surname Reist 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 Reist family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Reist 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 Reist History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Reist 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 Reist family

Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Reist Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Reist migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Reist Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Daniel Reist, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1737 1
  • Nicolaus Reist, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1737 1
  • Friederich Reist, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1750 1
  • Johannes Reist, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1754 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Reist (post 1700) +

  • Ezra Reist, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for Pennsylvania State Senate 14th District, 1886 2
  • E. Ervin Reist, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives from Clinton County, 1932 2


The Reist 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


  1. 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)
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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