Frequency: (219)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
1. Scottish: habitational name from Raith near Monkton in Ayrshire.
2. German and Swiss German: topographic name from a common field name, probably related to Middle High German reute ‘forest clearing’ (see Reuter).
3. German: nickname for someone with curly hair, from Middle High German reit ‘frizzy’, ‘curly’.
GIVEN NAMES: German 8%. Erwin, Heinz, Helmuth, Johann, Nikolaus, Wolfgang.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
