indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Type Surname (from occupation)
Usage Swiss, German, Upper German
Meaning & History
In Switzerland, an occupational name for a fisherman or maker of fish traps, from an agent derivative of Middle High German riuse ‘fish trap’, ‘weir basket’. A nickname from an agent noun based on Middle High German riusen ‘to moan or complain’. Also an occupational name for a castrator of farm animals, a derivative of reussen ‘to castrate’.