Reinhard
A German surname built from old Germanic elements meaning “strong counsel” or “firm judgment.”
The #8,477 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 79,308 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Reinhard comes from the old Germanic personal name Reinhard, made from two common name elements: reini/rein- meaning “pure,” “clean,” or in some naming traditions related to strength/rightness, and -hard meaning “hard,” “brave,” “strong,” or “firm.” In many cases the surname began as a hereditary form of an older given name rather than as a direct nickname. Historical surname dictionaries often group it with related forms such as Reinhart, Reinert, and Raynard.
History
The name spread widely in German-speaking Europe and later appears in several spelling traditions, including Dutch and French-related forms. Nineteenth-century surname scholars regularly connected it to a broader family of Germanic personal names with the -hard/-hart ending. In modern records it remains most common in Germany and among descendants of German emigrants.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Old surname manuals often treated Reinhard as part of the same large name-cluster as Rayner, Raynard, and Renard, reflecting how medieval spellings shifted across languages.
From the historical record
“fam. n. Reiner, m. (Reinhard) ; Reiners, fam. n. Reinhard, m. Reint, m. ; Reints, fam. n.”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)