Reinhold

Last updated
Reinhold
Bogny quatre fils aymon 05.jpg
Pronunciationrine-holt
GenderMale
Language(s) German
Origin
Meaning"solemnly loyal"
Region of origin Germany

Reinhold is a German, male given name, originally composed of two elements. The first is from regin, meaning "the (German)Gods" or as an emphatic prefix (very) and wald meaning "powerful". The second element having been reinterpreted as hold meaning "loyal" in the 16th century. [1]

Contents

This name was popularised by the ancient German hero figure known as Reinhold von Meilan from The Dietrich Saga. As well as Reinhold von Montalban (The Four Sons of Aymon), who ultimately also became Saint Reinhold von Köln.

The -h- is recorded in the Dietrich von Bern legendary figure Reinholt van Meilan who was the only one spared the slaughter at Erminrich's castle due to his loyalty to Dietrich. Hence with the addition of the -h- the etymology is interpreted as the emphatic prefix regn- with hold, apparently meaning "solemnly loyal". [1]

This name was brought to the British Isles by Viking conquerors, in the form of the Old Norse Rögnvaldr. In the 11th century, the Normans further established this name as Reinald and Reynaud. [2] There are other spelling variations of this name, but all have the same etymological Germanic origin.

Cognate to English Reynold, Ronald, French Renault, Italian Rinaldo, Scandinavian Ragnvald, and Spanish Reynaldo.

Notable people with the surname include

People with the given name include

Related Research Articles

Inge is a given name in various Germanic language-speaking cultures. In Swedish and Norwegian, it is mostly used as a masculine, but less often also as a feminine name, sometimes as a short form of Ingeborg, while in Danish, Estonian, Frisian, German and Dutch it is exclusively feminine. The feminine name has the variant Inga.

Fischer is a German occupational surname, meaning fisherman. The name Fischer is the fourth most common German surname. The English version is Fisher.

Beatrix is a Latin feminine given name, most likely derived from Viatrix, a feminine form of the Late Latin name Viator which meant "voyager, traveller" and later influenced in spelling by association with the Latin word beatus or "blessed". It is pronounced BEE-ə-triks in British English and the same or BEE-triks in North American English. Another North American English pronunciation however approximates that of most other languages: BAY-ə-triks, as shown by US dictionary entries for the former queen of the Netherlands.

Helga is a female name, used mainly in Scandinavia, German-speaking countries and the Low Countries. The name was in use in England before the Norman Conquest, but appears to have died out afterwards. It was re-introduced to English-speaking nations in the 20th century from Germany, the Netherlands, and the Nordic countries. Scandinavian male equivalent is Helge, or Helgi. Eastern Slavic names Olga (Ольга) and Oleg (Олег) are derived from it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otto</span> Name list

Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form of Germanic names beginning in aud-, an element meaning "wealth, prosperity".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adolf</span> Name list

Adolf is a given name with German origins.

Dietrich is an ancient German name meaning "ruler of the people", but also "keeper of the keys" or "lockpick".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gustav (name)</span> Masculine given name

Gustav, also spelled Gustaf, is a male given name of likely Old Swedish origin, used mainly in Scandinavian countries, German-speaking countries, and the Low Countries, possibly meaning "staff of the Geats or Goths or gods", possibly derived from the Old Norse elements Gautr ("Geats"), Gutar/Gotar ("Goths") or goð ōs ("gods"), and stafr ("staff"). Another etymology speculates that the name may be of Medieval Slavic origin, from the name Gostislav, a compound word for "glorious guest", from the Medieval Slavic words gosti ("guest") and slava ("glory") and was adopted by migrating groups north and west into Germany and Scandinavia. This name has been borne by eight Kings of Sweden, including the 16th-century Gustav Vasa and the current king, Carl XVI Gustaf. It is a common name for Swedish monarchs since the reign of Gustav Vasa. The name has entered other languages as well. In French it is Gustave; in Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish it is Gustavo. The Latinized form is Gustavus. A side-form of the name in Swedish is Gösta. The name in Finnish is Kustaa, while in Icelandic it is written Gústav or Gústaf.

Wolfgang is a German male given name traditionally popular in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The name is a combination of the Old High German words wolf, meaning "wolf", and gang, meaning "path", "journey", "travel". Besides the regular "wolf", the first element also occurs in Old High German as the combining form "-olf". The earliest reference of the name being used was in the 8th century. The name was also attested as "Vulfgang" in the Reichenauer Verbrüderungsbuch in the 9th century. The earliest recorded famous bearer of the name was a tenth-century Saint Wolfgang of Regensburg. Due to the lack of conflict with the pagan reference in the name with Catholicism, it is likely a much more ancient name whose meaning had already been lost by the tenth century. Grimm interpreted the name as that of a hero in front of whom walks the "wolf of victory". A Latin gloss by Arnold of St Emmeram interprets the name as Lupambulus.

Hans is a Germanic male given name in Afrikaans, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Faroese, German, Norwegian, Icelandic and Swedish-speaking populations. It was originally short for Johannes (John), but is now also recognized as a name in its own right for official purposes. The earliest documented usage was in 1356 in Sweden, 1360 in Norway, and the 14th century in Denmark.

Egon is a Danish variant of the male given name Egino. It is most commonly found in Central and Northern Europe. Egon may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurt</span> Name list

Kurt is a male given name of Germanic or Turkish origin. Kurt or Curt originated as short forms of the Germanic Conrad, depending on geographical usage, with meanings including counselor or advisor.

Ewald is a given name and surname used primarily in Germany and Scandinavia. It derives from the Germanic roots ewa meaning "law" and wald meaning "power, brightness". People and concepts with the name include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfred (name)</span> Name list

Alfred is a masculine given name of English origin, a modern descendant of the Anglo-Saxon name Ælfræd, formed from the Germanic words ælf, meaning "elf", and ræd, meaning "counsel". Its feminine form originating from Romance languages is Alfreda, and diminutives of Alfred include Al, Alf, Alfy, Alfie, Fred, and Freddy. After the 11th-century Norman Conquest, many variants of the name emerged, most of which were not carried to the modern day. Today, Alfred is still in regular usage in a number of different regions, especially Great Britain, Africa, Scandinavia, and North America. It is one of the few Old English names that came into common use in Europe. Its name day is the 3rd of January both in Norway and Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oscar (given name)</span> Name list

Oscar or Oskar is a masculine given name of English and Irish origin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ludwig (given name)</span> Name list

Ludwig is a German name, deriving from Old High German Hludwīg, also spelled Hluotwīg. Etymologically, the name can be traced back to the reconstructed Proto-Germanic name *hlūdawiganaz, which is composed of two elements: *hlūdaz and *wiganą respectively, the resulting name meaning "famous warrior" or "famous in battle".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leopold (given name)</span> Name list

Leopold is the modern form of the Germanic name Luitbald, composed of two stems, common to Germanic names. The first part is related to Old High German liut meaning "people", the second part bald or balt is of Germanic origin and means "brave". The name is not related to the names Leon and Leonard which mean lion. The name gradually spread across Western Europe and during the 16th century it became popular in the southern Holy Roman Empire, due to the influence of the Margraves of Austria from the Babenberg dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugo (name)</span> Name list

Hugo is a surname and a masculine given name. The English version of the name is Hugh, the Italian version is Ugo. For detailed history and etymology of the name, see Hugh.

Florian is a masculine given name borrowed from the ancient Roman name Florianus. The name is derived from Florus, from Latin flōrus, related to flāvus. In spite of that, by popular etymology, it is often linked to flōs.

References

  1. 1 2 George T. Gillespie, A Catalogue Of Persons Named In German Heroic Literature (700-1600) Including Named Animals And Objects And Ethnic Names, 1973, pp 107-108
  2. Reaney, Percy Hilde; Wilson, Richard Middlewood (2006), A Dictionary of English Surnames (3rd ed.), London: Routledge, p. 2626, ISBN   0-203-99355-1