Surname Ruehling - Meaning and Origin
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Ruehling: What does the surname Ruehling mean?
The surname Ruehling is an occupational surname, which means a person's familial origins are tied to their place of employment. Historically, the name Ruehling stems from the Middle High German word "ruhling" which simply means to rove or wander. In Germany, the surname Ruehling was given to individuals who were roaming minstrels, peddlers, hawkers, or travelling traders, suggesting that those carrying it were of poorer socio-economic status. In the United States, it is believed the Ruehling name came in with German immigrants at the height of the Pennsylvania German immigration in the mid-1700s and early 1800s.
The surname Ruehling continues to be common throughout modern Germany and is found in the US in states with a high concentration of German immigrant populations, such as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Ohio, Illinois, and North Dakota. As of 2019, it was the 4,919th most common surname in Germany.
The name Ruehling carries a unique sense of adventure and the spirit of exploration, stemming from its historic German roots. It is a name that lives on as a reminder of the importance of difficult and often dangerous work that was done by the individual who first held the name.
Order DNA origin analysisRuehling: Where does the name Ruehling come from?
The last name Ruehling is most commonly found in the United States today. According to the Social Security Administration, there were an estimated 212 people with the last name Ruehling living in the United States in 2020, a 260% increase from the 79 people registered in the 2000 census. The greatest concentration of Ruehling households were found in the Midwest region of the US, with the states of Nebraska, Wisconsin and Minnesota boasting the highest numbers.
The earliest instances of the Ruehling name being documented in the US originated in Wisconsin. During the mid-19th century, some members of the Ruehling family migrated from Rhineland, Germany to explore the opportunities that the US had to offer. One of the earliest confirmed records of a Ruehling in the US was 1848 in Brown County, Wisconsin.
Since then, the Ruehling family has spread out across the country. Today, in addition to the highest concentrations being found in the Midwest, additional pockets of Ruehling families are found in California, Texas, Florida, Virginia and other states.
It remains to be seen if the Ruehling name will continue to increase in popularity during the 21st century, as it did in the 19th and 20th centuries. For now, however, it is evident that the Ruehling name is alive and well in the United States.
Variations of the surname Ruehling
The surname Ruehling is derived from the German and Swiss language word "ruhen" which means “to be still” or “rest.” As a surname, it refers to someone who has lived in a place of rest, or someone who has worked in a field such as agriculture that required them to work the land for a period of rest.
The variants and spellings of this surname include Reuling, Reuening, Reulingen, Reuning, Reuningen, Ruehl, Ruehle, Ruehling, Reidinger, Reiding, Rehder, and more.
The origin of the Ruehling surname can be traced to Germany and Switzerland, with several branches located in the Rhineland Palatinate, Hesse, Brandenburg, Prussia, Thuringia, and Saxony. The surname is also found in some parts of Austria, Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic.
The Reuling, Reuning, and Ruehl surnames can be combined into a single patronymic surname, Ruehling.
In the United States there are many American families with the Ruehling surname, most of whom tracing their origins back to families who emigrated from Germany and Switzerland in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Ruehling surname has also spread to Canada, Brazil, Mexico, and parts of Africa.
To summarize, the surname Ruehling is derived from the German and Swiss language word "ruhen" meaning “to be still” or “rest” and has several variant spellings and related surnames, including Reuling, Reuening, Reulingen, Reuning, Reuningen, Ruehl, Ruehle, Ruehling, Reidinger, Reiding, Rehder, and more, with multiple families located in Germany, Switzerland, the United States, and other parts of the world.
Famous people with the name Ruehling
- Mark Ruehling: American ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL)
- Fritz Ruehling: German zoologist specialized in anatomy and histology
- Ellen Adele Ruehling: American classical mezzo-soprano opera singer
- Walther Ruehling: German architect
- Ernst Paul Ruehling: German aircraft engineer
- Paul Ruehling: German lawyer and politician
- Ernst August Ruehling: German businessman
- Auguste Marie Louise Ruehling: German businesswoman
- Nicolai Ruehling: German industrialist in the textile industry
- Richard Ruehling: German sculptor and painter