Reisinger
A German surname most likely meaning “one who comes from Reising” or “one associated with brushwood, twigs, or reeds,” depending on the local place-name behind it.
The #7,568 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 70,329 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Reisinger is a German surname formed with the agentive suffix -er, which commonly means “person from” or “person associated with” a place or feature. It is usually taken as a habitational name, either from a place called Reising or from a related local form built on Middle High German reis / reise words for brushwood, twigs, or reeds. Because several similar German surnames and place-names exist, the exact local source can vary by family line.
History
The name is found in German-speaking areas and later appears in German emigration communities, especially in North America. Like many -er surnames, it likely began as a marker of origin or residence and then became hereditary. The excerpt provided lists Reisinger among related surnames, but does not give a full derivation, so the etymology here is a conservative reconstruction from standard German naming patterns.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The ending -er is one of the easiest clues in German surnames: it often works like “the one from X.”
From the historical record
“Reiser, -sert 216. Reisig 93. Reisinger 93. Reiske 678. Reisner 312. Reissbach 311. Reissert 216. Reissmann 133.”
— Die Personennamen, insbesondere die Familiennamen