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Updated June 9, 2019

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’.

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