Rife
A surname probably arising as a nickname from an older word meaning “plentiful” or “abundant,” though its exact source is not fully certain.
The #5,268 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 46,638 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Rife is usually treated as coming from the old English word rife, meaning plentiful, abundant, or widespread. In that sense it would originally have described a person, place, or condition associated with something common or abundant. Some older writers also suggest a possible link with a nickname or descriptive byname, but the precise path into surname use is not firmly settled.
History
The word rife was common in older English and Scottish English, and it appears often in historical writing with the sense “widely found” or “prevalent.” As a surname, Rife is not among the most common English names and seems to have remained relatively uncommon. Modern bearers in the United States are likely descended from one or a few older English-family lines, but the documentary trail is not strong enough here to pin down a single place of origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older English texts use rife much as modern speakers use “rampant” or “common,” so the surname may originally have meant something like “the prevalent one.”
From the historical record
“OWLE (Eng.) a nickname, or sign-name, from the Owl [O.E. rife] OWLER (Scand.) Dweller by an Alder [O.N. olr = O.E. alor] OWLES, Owle's (Son) : v. Owle.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)