Surname Reineking - Meaning and Origin
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Reineking: What does the surname Reineking mean?
The last name Reineking is thought to have originated in the region of Westphalia in Germany. It is believed to have two parts, "rein" and "king". "Rein" means pure or clean, and "king" is derived from the word "kuning", an Old Germanic term often translated as "leader" or "king".
The name could have evolved from a nickname for someone who was pure or had a strong older influence in a community (perhaps through their lineage). Alternatively, it may refer to someone of great power or leadership in a village or place.
The name can be found in various incarnations throughout Germany.(Rheineking, Reneckin and Reinecker, etc.) It can also be found in the anglicised form of Renking, Reyneking or Reynekin.
The surname first appears under the Reinekins/Reineking in the German Bürgerbücher, or citizen registers of Prussia and Franconia in the middle of the 16th century. Since then, it has spread amongst other regions of Germany, as well as with German settlers in America.
The name Reineking has become increasingly used in the English-speaking world since the 19th century.
Order DNA origin analysisReineking: Where does the name Reineking come from?
The last name Reineking is most commonly associated with areas around Germany. Specifically, the name is most commonly found concentrated in the north-western states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony. In addition, Reineking is occasionally found in eastern regions of Belgium and the Netherlands.
Within Germany, the last name Reineking is one of the most populous names. In Lower Saxony, it is the 35th most common last name. There it can be found concentrated in the cities of Wolfsburg, Gifhorn, and Braunschweig. In North Rhine-Westphalia, a German state with the population of nearly 18 million people, the last name Reineking appears on the 70th place of popularity ranking.
However, the name is not limited to Germany and its neighbouring countries. There are instances of Reineking spread across the whole Europe, the Americas, and even in Australia. Judging from the available data, Germany remains the main epicentre of the name, with its north-western regions boasting the highest concentration of Reineking’s.
In its German spelling variations, the last name Reineking is part of the broader family of German last names ending with “king” or “ing”. This overall group indicates an occupation or geographical origin of the person bearing the name. “Rein” in the last name Reineking indicates cleanness (as in German “reinigen” - to clean) and indicates that a person or family originating this last name was related to professional cleaning services or related activities.
Variations of the surname Reineking
Reineking is a German surname derived from the first name “Rein” or “Reine”, which is derived from the Middle High German ‘reine’ meaning ‘pure’. It is derived from either the Old Norse ‘Rin’ meaning ‘clean’ or the Old German ‘Ragin’ meaning ‘counsel’. Variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin of Reineking include:
Reinecke, Reichenkron, Reinking, Reincke, Reinecker, Reinken, Reinkes, Reikoning, Reineche, Reinecken, Reinicke, Reineks, Reinek, Reinicken, Rainecke, Rinecke, Rineking, Rineken, Reinke, and Reinkh.
The German variation of Reineking is often spelled differently in other countries, such as Reinecke, Reinicke, or Reincke, however the pronunciation remains the same. In some cases, Reineking has been Americanized, resulting in spellings such as Rhineking, Rineking, Reinke, or Reinken.
Interestingly, the most common variant of Reineking is much more common than the source name itself. The most common variant is Reinecke (also spelled Reineke or Reincke), which outnumbers the source name 10 to 1 in population.
In summary, Reineking is an old German surname derived from the first name “Rein” or “Reine” which means ‘pure’ in Middle High German. It has numerous variations such as Reinecke, Reincke, Rineking, Reinke, Reinken, and many more. Americanization of the original spelling might have also taken place, resulting in Americanized versions such as Rhineking. The most common variant is Reinecke (also Reineke and Reincke).
Famous people with the name Reineking
- Christoph Reineking: German physicist and business leader in the field of optics and photonics
- Helen Reineking: American photographer, sculptor, and painter based in San Francisco
- Herb Reineking: American songwriter best known for his song “Sister Jacalyn”, originally performed by Johnny Cash
- Jochen Reineking: German composer of classical music best known for his string quartets and concertos
- Johannes Reineking: German historian and professor of medieval history
- Hans-Jürgen Reineking: German Paralympic athlete who competed in track and field events
- Margaret Reineking: Canadian landscape architect and horticulturist
- Michael Reineking: German composer and jazz pianist
- Richard Reineking: German expressionist painter
- Wolfgang Reineking: Swiss engineer and inventor of sport parachute designs