Reinke
A German surname that likely began as a short form of names built on Rein- and related elements.
The #5,836 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 52,100 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Reinke is best understood as a German diminutive or pet-form surname, probably from a personal name beginning with Rein-, such as Reinold, Reinhard, or Reinhold. The historical sources group it with forms like Reinecke, Reinke, Reinke, and Reinick, showing it belongs to a family of shortened names rather than a separate word with an obvious modern meaning. In older German naming, endings like -ke often marked an affectionate or familiar form.
History
The surname is especially associated with German-speaking areas and appears in several closely related spellings. The 19th-century onomastic sources treat it as part of a wider cluster of Rein- surnames, which were often reshaped by dialect and local spelling habits. In modern usage, Reinke is established both in Germany and among descendants of German immigrants in North America.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same historical cluster links Reinke with forms as varied as Reinecke, Renke, and Reinick, showing how flexible German surname spelling could be before standardization.
From the historical record
“ke mit Bindelaut: Tedike, Reinicke, Reinecke; ohne Bindelaut: Reinke, Wilke; k: Tieck — verhochdeutscht ch (ich, ig): Dedich, Rüdig,”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen