Rechtschaffen

Rechtschaffen is a surname of German origin. It is a compound name that likely reflects elements such as rechts (right or law) and schaffen (to create or accomplish), a pattern common in German-language surnames. As with many Germanic surnames, its exact historical origin is difficult to document, and spelling variants or transliterations may occur in diaspora communities.

The surname is found among German-speaking populations and has a presence in North American and other communities with German-Jewish or Central European heritage. In scholarly and scientific contexts, the name is most closely associated with Allan Rechtschaffen, an American sleep researcher and psychiatrist.

Allan Rechtschaffen is known for his role in developing and promoting standardized sleep research methods. He co-authored the influential manual A Manual of Sleep Scoring (often cited as Rechtschaffen and Kales), which established systematic criteria for scoring sleep stages in polysomnography. The manual helped standardize data collection and interpretation in sleep medicine and remains a reference in the field, even as scoring systems have evolved.

In addition to Allan Rechtschaffen, other individuals with the surname have appeared in academic and professional contexts, but the name is primarily recognized in connection with sleep research through the Rechtschaffen–Kales legacy. The term Rechtschaffen is sometimes encountered in bibliographic citations referencing early sleep-science literature.