Given name & surname
Reiner
“one who provides counsel”
Reiner is used as a given name and a surname. One German interpretation is “one who provides counsel.”
Original GermanRainer
Meaning & origin
What it means
One German interpretation is “one who provides counsel.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is German.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1955. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Reiner through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 346
- 346 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2024
- 32 babies
- 2025
- 23
- #4,504 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +157%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 23 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 4,504 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 156.5% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (6). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 684 as a first name in 2020; 4,786 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Reiner’s family of names
In German usage, Reiner shares a linguistic root with the Danish form Regner. In German usage, Reiner has a related form in Rainer. In German usage, Reiner has a related form in Rainer.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Reiner has relatives in 10 languages. Lines run from its German roots to each of them.
Nicknames & forms 8
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 15
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Reiner
- Reiner KlimkeGerman equestrian (1936–1999)
- Reiner KunzeGerman poet, writer, translator, and GDR dissident (born 1933)
- Reiner StahelGerman soldier (1892–1955)
- Reiner HaseloffGerman politicianborn 1954
- Reiner Kniziaboard game designerborn 1957
- Reiner SchöneGerman actorborn 1942
- Reiner GeyeGerman footballer (1949-2002)
- Reiner HollmannGerman association football player and managerborn 1949
- Reiner Giesboxerborn 1963
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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