Reinhart
A German surname meaning “pure heart,” from elements for “pure” and “heart” or a related old Germanic personal name.
The #3,833 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 33,425 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Reinhart is generally understood as a German surname from the old Germanic personal name Reinhard/Reinhard. The first element is commonly taken as rein, meaning “pure” or “clean,” and the second as hard, meaning “strong,” “brave,” or “hardy.” Some 19th-century writers also explained it more loosely as “pure heart,” but the safer historical reading is that it comes from a traditional Germanic name rather than a literal phrase.
History
The name appears in several German forms, including Reinhard and Reinhardt, and spread widely through German-speaking regions before later appearing in Dutch and immigrant families abroad. In English-language sources of the 19th century it was sometimes glossed as a surname meaning “pure heart,” reflecting older folk etymology as much as strict linguistic analysis. Modern bearers in the United States are often descendants of German or German-American families.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname books often grouped Reinhart with other names like Reinhard and Reinhold, showing how closely related spellings were treated as part of one Germanic name family.
From the historical record
“pure, and ard, nature, disposition ; honest, incorrupt. REINHART. (Dutch.) A pure heart, from rein, pure. RENARD. (Fr.) A fox, cunning. RETZ. Local. A town in Moravia. REYNOLDS. (Sax.) Sincere or pure love from, Rhein, pure, and hold, the old English for love. It also may signify strong or firm hold. REYNOLDSON.…”
— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian NamesNotable people named Reinhart
- Lili Reinhart (b. 1996)
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