Family name origins & meanings
- South German and German : from Middle High German reif ‘(barrel) hoop’, ‘ribbon’, ‘cord’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a cooper or maker of ribbons, or from a house or tavern with the sign of a hoop.
- German : from the medieval personal name Riff, a short form of the Germanic name Rīchfrit, composed of the elements rīc ‘power(ful)’ + frid ‘peace’.
- Jewish (Ashkenazic) : ornamental name or nickname from German reif ‘mature’.