Ris Family History
Ris Name Meaning
Swiss German: Alemannic variant of Ries 3 or Reis Swiss German: topographic name from Middle High German risi ‘water channel (made of stone or wood) on a mountain’ for someone who lived near such a structure. Dutch: from a short form of an ancient Germanic personal name Riso or Risolf formed with ris- a shortened element with a number of interpretations (for instance possibly a cognate of German Ries ). Alternatively a patronymic from a short form of the personal name Henri French equivalent of Henry . Compare Rys . Slovenian: nickname from ris ‘lynx’ probably denoting a lithe and deft person. Serbian and Croatian: metonymic occupational name from dialect ris ‘harvest of hired reapers paid in kind’. As a Croatian name it may in some cases also be a nickname from ris ‘lynx’ (see Slovenian name above). Slovak (Rís): possibly a nickname from Slovak archaic ris (modern spelling rys) ‘lynx’ (see Slovenian name above). Compare Rys .7: Slovak (Riš): unexplained.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022