Show ContentsRife History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Rife family

The surname Rife was first found in Savoy (French: Savoie) in the Rhône-Alpes region of the French Alps, where the family has been a prominent family for centuries, and held a family seat with lands and manor. The family were well established in the region of the Chambery and several members of the family distinguished themselves through their contributions toward the community in which they lived and were rewarded with lands, titles and letters patent confirming their nobility.

Early History of the Rife family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rife research. Another 84 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rife History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rife Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Riff, Riffe, Rife, Rif and others.

Early Notables of the Rife family

More information is included under the topic Early Rife Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rife Ranking

In the United States, the name Rife is the 4,383rd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1


Rife migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Rife Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Abraham Rife, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1746 2
Rife Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Louis Rife, who landed in Mississippi in 1858 2
  • Mrs. Geo. H. Rife, aged 27, who settled in America from London, in 1892
Rife Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • George H Rife, aged 34, who immigrated to the United States, in 1911
  • Charles T. Rife, aged 32, who landed in America, in 1915
  • Allan M. Rife, aged 22, who immigrated to America, in 1921
  • Hugh Holme Rife, aged 22, who landed in America, in 1924

Contemporary Notables of the name Rife (post 1700) +

  • Royal Raymond Rife (1888-1971), American inventor of a discredited high-magnification time-lapse cine-micrography machine that purportedly cured cancer
  • Josh Rife (b. 1979), retired American soccer player
  • John Winebrenner Rife (1846-1908), American politician, Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania (1889-1893)
  • Y. Jefferson Rife (1910-1986), American Democratic Party politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Wayne County, 1957-62 3
  • O. J. Rife, American Democratic Party politician, Presidential Elector for West Virginia, 1912; Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Wayne County, 1931-32 3
  • John Winebrenner Rife (1846-1908), American Republican politician, Member of Pennsylvania State Legislature; U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania 14th District, 1889-93 3
  • Jack Rife, American Republican politician, Member of Iowa State Senate 29th District; Elected 1982 3
  • Joaquim Rifé Climent (b. 1942), Spanish footballer, captain of the FC Barcelona


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 24) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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