THE HISTORICAL RESEARCH CENTER                       

                              FAMILY NAME HISTORY
                       
                                  REIFF / REIF
                       
                       
         THE GERMAN SURNAME REIFF IS BELIEVED BY ETYMOLOGISTS TO BE
         OF THREE ORIGINS. FIRSTLY, THE SURNAME REIFF IS OF PATRONYMIC
         ORIGIN, FROM THE FIRST NAME OF THE FATHER OF THE INITIAL
         BEARER. IN THIS INSTANCE, THE SURNAME REIFF, IS A VARIANT
         OF THE ANCIENT SURNAME RIFF, DERIVED FROM THE PERSONAL NAME
         RIDFRIT, A SHORT FORM OF RIFO. ALTERNATELY, THE SURNAME REIFF
         IS OF OCCUPATIONAL ORIGIN, FROM THE TRADE OR PROFESSION OF
         THE FATHER OF THE INITIAL BEARER OF THE NAME AS A SURNAME.
         HERE, THE SURNAME REIFF IS DERIVED FROM THE MIDDLE HIGH GERMAN
         WORD REIF MEANING VATTED BAND OR HOOP, THUS REFERRING TO
         "A MAKER OF HOOPS FOR WINE VATS". FINALLY, THE SURNAME REIFF
         IS OF NICKNAME ORIGIN, FROM A PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTIC OR
         PERSONAL ATTRIBUTE OF THE INITIAL BEARER. IN THIS CASE, THE
         SURNAME REIFF DENOTES "A WEAK AND COLD PERSON".
         
         REFERENCES TO THIS SURNAME OR TO A VARIANT INCLUDE A RECORD
         OF ONE NICOL. HOLTZMENGER DE DOMO ZU DEM REYFE IN WORMS IN
         1325, AS WELL AS A RECORD OF A HAUS ZU DEM REYFE ALSO IN
         WORMS IN 1325. BEARERS OF THE SURNAME SWENKENREIFF (SWENKE
         BEING A FEMALE PERSONAL NAME), WERE RECORDED IN BRUENN IN
         1365, AND STEZENREIF (TO SET) IN NUERNBURG IN 1370, AS WELL
         AS BEARERS OF THE SURNAME REIFSSCHNEIDER (TAILOR) IN IGLAU
         IN 1372. JODOCUS GEN. RIFF WAS A CHURCH MASTER OF JEGENSTORF
         IN BERN, AS RECORDED IN 1375. BEARERS OF THE SURNAME
         TREFFENREYFF IN LIEGNITZ WERE RECORDED IN 1389. HEINR. RIFFE
         OF STRAUSSBURG WAS MENTIONED IN DOCUMENTS DATED 1405. THE
         SURNAMES BECHERREIF (CUP) AND REIFSTECK (STICK) WERE FOUND
         IN DOCUMENTS OF STRAUSSBURG IN 1419. THE SURNAMES REIF AND
         REIFF WERE OF DESCENT FROM BRESLAU. FABIAN REIFF DIED IN
         THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY WHERE HIS GRAVESTONE IS NEAR ST.
         ELISABETH. HIS WIFE, HEDWIG, DIED BEFORE HIM ON FEBRUARY
         18, 1555
         
         BLAZON OF ARMS: ARGENT; A MILLSTONE PROPER;
                          CHARGED WITH AN IRON SABLE.
         CREST:           A TOWER WITH AN EMBATTLED
                          POINTED TOP AND OPEN PORT,
                          ALL ARGENT.
         ORIGIN:          GERMANY