Reiner
A surname that often comes from the old Germanic personal name Reginher, later shortened to Reiner and related forms like Regnier and Reinhard.
The #6,522 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 59,351 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Reiner is usually understood as a surname taken from a medieval personal name, especially Germanic Reginher/Reginheri. That name is built from elements meaning “counsel” or “decision” and “army,” so the underlying sense is something like “wise warrior” or “army counselor.” In French and other Romance contexts, related forms such as Regnier helped spread the name in altered spellings.
History
The name appears in medieval records as a personal name and later as a hereditary surname in German-speaking areas. Nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century surname scholars also linked it with continental forms such as Reinhard, Regnier, and Rayner, though some of those relationships reflect historical spelling shifts rather than a single simple line of descent. In English-speaking countries, Reiner often arrived through immigrant families from German or Central European backgrounds.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same Germanic name family has left traces in several European surnames, including French Regnier and English Rayner, which can look unrelated at first glance.
From the historical record
“■ Leversage, Reiner Liversage, of Woolston, 1583 : eg. Univ. Oxf. vol. ii. pt ii. p. ._ Thomas Leversage, co. Ches., 1607: ibid. p. 997.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)