Reinhold is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 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.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 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 The Four Sons of Aymon (, , ), sometimes also referred to as ''Renaud de Montauban'' (after its main character) is a medieval tale centring around the four sons of Duke Aymon: the knight Renaud de Montauban (also spelt ''Renaut'', ''Renault'', , ...

), who ultimately also became Saint Reinhold von Köln. The -h- is recorded in the

Dietrich von Bern Dietrich von Bern is the name of a character in Germanic heroic legend who originated as a legendary version of the Ostrogothic king Theodoric the Great. The name "Dietrich", meaning "Ruler of the People", is a form of the Germanic name "Theodor ...

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".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 This name was brought to the British Isles by

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

conquerors, in the form of the

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

Rögnvaldr Ragnvald, Rögnvald or Rognvald or Rægnald is an Old Norse language, Old Norse name (Old Norse ''Rǫgnvaldr'', modern Icelandic ''Rögnvaldur''; in Old English language, Old English ''Regenweald'' and in Old Irish, Middle Irish language, Middle Iri ...

. In the 11th century, the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...

further established this name as ''Reinald'' and ''Reynaud''. There are other spelling variations of this name, but all have the same

etymological Etymology ( ) is the study of the origin and evolution of words—including their constituent units of sound and meaning—across time. In the 21st century a subfield within linguistics, etymology has become a more rigorously scientific study. ...

Germanic origin. Cognate to English

Reynold Reynold is an English masculine given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person fr ...

Ronald Ronald is a masculine given name derived from the Old Norse ''Rögnvaldr'',#H2, Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) p. 234; #H1, Hanks; Hodges (2003) § Ronald. or possibly from Old English ''Regenweald''. In some cases ''Ronald'' is an Anglicised ...

, French

Renault Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company curr ...

, Italian Rinaldo, Scandinavian

Ragnvald Ragnvald, Rögnvald or Rognvald or Rægnald is an Old Norse name (Old Norse ''Rǫgnvaldr'', modern Icelandic ''Rögnvaldur''; in Old English ''Regenweald'' and in Old Irish, Middle Irish ''Ragnall''). Notable people with the name include: * Ragnval ...

, and Spanish Reynaldo.

Notable people with the surname include

Erasmus Reinhold Erasmus Reinhold (22 October 1511 – 19 February 1553) was a German astronomer and mathematician, considered to be the most influential astronomical pedagogue of his generation. He was born and died in Saalfeld, Saxony. He was educated, un ...

, 16th-century German astronomer; the lunar crater

Reinhold Reinhold is a German language, 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 re ...

is named after him *

Hagen Reinhold Hagen Reinhold (born 23 March 1978) is a German politician of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) who has served as a member of the Bundestag from the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern from 2017 to 2023. Political career In parliament, Reinhold has b ...

(born 1978), German politician *

Hugo Reinhold Hugo Reinhold (3 March 18544 September 1935) was an Austrian composer and pianist. He was born and died in Vienna. He was admitted to the Conservatorium der Musikfreunde, where he studied under Anton Bruckner, Felix Dessoff and Julius Epstei ...

(1854–1935), Austrian composer and pianist *

Judge Reinhold Edward Ernest "Judge" Reinhold Jr. (born May 21, 1957) is an American actor who is best known for his work in Hollywood films during the 1980s. He has starred in several popular films such as '' Stripes'' (1981), '' Fast Times at Ridgemont High' ...

(born 1957), American actor *

Karl Leonhard Reinhold Karl Leonhard Reinhold (; ; 26 October 1757 – 10 April 1823) was an Austrian philosopher who helped to popularise the work of Immanuel Kant in the late 18th century. His "elementary philosophy" (''Elementarphilosophie'') also influenced German ...

(1757–1823), 18th-/19th-century Austrian philosopher *

Karolin Braunsberger-Reinhold Karolin Braunsberger-Reinhold (born 3 November 1986) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who served as a Member of the European Parliament from 2021 to 2024. Political career In parliament, Braunsberger-Reinhold serv ...

(born 1986), German politician *

Meyer Reinhold Meyer Reinhold (September 1, 1909 – 1 July 2002) was an American classical scholar and also a specialist in Jewish studies. He was co-author or editor of 23 books. With his wife Diane he had two children, Helen Reinhold Barrett, later Dean of ...

(1909–2002), American classical scholar * Johann Heinrich Carl Reinhold (1788–1825), German painter and engraver * Christa L. Deeleman-Reinhold (born 1930), Dutch arachnologist

People with the given name include

Reinhold Einwallner Reinhold Einwallner (born 13 May 1973) is an Austrian politician and member of the National Council. A member of the Social Democratic Party, he has represented Vorarlberg since November 2017. He was a member of the Landtag of Vorarlberg from ...

(born 1973), Austrian politician * Reinhold "Dan" Fielding, fictional character in the TV series ''Night Court'' *

Reinhold Glière Reinhold Moritzevich Glière (23 June 1956), born Reinhold Ernest Glier, was a Russian and Soviet composer of German and Polish descent. He was awarded the title of People's Artist of RSFSR (1935) and People's Artist of USSR (1938). Biography ...

(1875–1956), Russian and Soviet composer * Reinhold Hanning (1921 – 2017) – Germany (Poland) – Auschwitz death camp SS guard *

Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald ( – ) was an Estonians, Estonian writer and the author of the national epic ''Kalevipoeg''. Life Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald's parents were born at the Jõepere, Jömper estate, Governorate of Estonia, Russia ...

(1803–1882), Estonian writer * Reinhold Lahti (1930–2002), Swedish Army major general *

Reinhold Messner Reinhold Andreas Messner (; born 17 September 1944) is an Italian climber, explorer, and author from the German-speaking province of South Tyrol. He made the first solo ascent of Mount Everest and, along with Peter Habeler, the first ascent o ...

(born 1944), Italian mountaineer * Reinhold Mitterlehner (born 1955), Austrian politician *

Reinhold Niebuhr Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr (June 21, 1892 – June 1, 1971) was an American Reformed theologian, ethicist, commentator on politics and public affairs, and professor at Union Theological Seminary for more than 30 years. Niebuhr was one of Ameri ...

(1892–1971), American theologian, public intellectual, and commentator * Reinhold Richard "Reince" Priebus (born 1972), American lawyer, former White House Chief of Staff for U.S. President Donald J. Trump *

Reinhold Remmert Reinhold Remmert (22 June 1930 – 9 March 2016) was a German mathematician. Born in Osnabrück, Lower Saxony, he studied mathematics, mathematical logic and physics in Münster. He established and developed the theory of complex-analytic space ...

(1930–2016), German mathematician * Reinhold Saulmann (1895–1936), Estonian Olympic sprinter * Reinhold Thiessenhusen (1864–1930), American politician *

Reinhold Tiling Reinhold Tiling (13 June 1893 – 11 October 1933) was a German engineer, pilot and a rocket pioneer. Biography Tiling was born in Absberg, Kingdom of Bavaria, as the son of a pastor. Shortly after he began the study of mechanical engineering ...

(1893–1933), German engineer, pilot and rocket pioneer *

Reinhold Würth Reinhold Würth (born 20 April 1935) is a German businessman and art collector. In 1954, at the age of 19, he took over his father's wholesale screw business and built it into the Würth Group, which posted €19.9 billion (US$21.68 billion) in ...

(born 1935), German businessman * Reinhold Weege (1949–2012), American television writer, producer and director

References

{{given name, type=both Surnames of German origin German masculine given names Masculine given names Surnames from given names hu:Reginald