Richthofen is the surname of a prominent German aristocratic family. The most famous member is the air ace Manfred von Richthofen (1892–1918), also known as the "Red Baron", but a number of other members of his family are also notable for various reasons.

Some members of the family have a royal ancestry as descendants of the older of two illegitimate sons of Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau, by Sophie Eleonore Sölden.

Baron Walter von Richthofen, an uncle of Manfred von Richthofen, emigrated from Silesia to the United States in 1877. He founded the Denver Chamber of Commerce, and was co-founder of Montclair, Denver at that time a village east of Denver but now incorporated into the city. His Richthofen Castle was one of the most sumptuous mansions in the American West. Begun in 1883 and completed in 1887, it was modeled on the original Richthofen Castle in Germany. Located immediately around the Castle are the Baron's mistress's house and his sanitarium/dairy.

Manfred von Richthofen was the most successful fighter pilot of World War I, with 80 official victories before he was killed in action. His younger brother, Lothar von Richthofen (1894–1922), was also a flying ace, with 40 victories. He served alongside his brother in Jasta 11. Lothar died in an air crash in 1922.

Suzane Louise Freiin von Richthofen (born November 3, 1983), is a Brazilian who murdered her own parents on October 31, 2002 with help from her boyfriend and his brother. She was put on trial in São Paulo in July 2006 and was sentenced to 40 years imprisonment.

Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Suzane is the daughter of the German engineer Manfred Albert Freiherr von Richthofen, and his wife, Marisia von Richthofen (née Marísia Abdalla), a Brazilian of Lebanese descent. Her father was working as a director of the State Company for Highway Development in São Paulo, her mother was a psychiatrist. Suzane has a younger brother, Andreas Freiherr von Richthofen, born in 1987. Her father claimed to be a grandnephew of Manfred von Richthofen, German war pilot of World War I, but this is still disputed; the German von Richthofen family denies any link to them.^{[citation needed]} After graduating from a German High School, Suzane studied law at Pontifícia Universidade Católica. She was described as happy, but a little shy. Suzane was known to have a good relation with her parents and her brother. In the summer of 1999, she started practising Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and that's where she got to know Daniel Cravinhos de Paula e Silva, who became her boyfriend and accomplice of the murder.

Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918), also widely known as the Red Baron, was a German fighter pilot with the Imperial German Army Air Service (Luftstreitkräfte) during World War I. He is considered the top ace of that war, being officially credited with 80 air combat victories, more than any other pilot.

Originally a cavalryman, Richthofen transferred to the Air Service in 1915, becoming one of the first members of Jasta 2 in 1916. He quickly distinguished himself as a fighter pilot, and during 1917 became leader of Jasta 11 and then the larger unit Jagdgeschwader 1 (better known as the "Flying Circus"). By 1918, he was regarded as a national hero in Germany, and was very well known by the other side.

Richthofen was shot down and killed near Amiens on 21 April 1918. There has been considerable discussion and debate regarding aspects of his career, especially the circumstances of his death. He remains quite possibly the most widely-known fighter pilot of all time, and has been the subject of many books and films.