Rainey
A surname with several possible roots, most often linked either to a Gaelic family name or to older Germanic/English forms beginning with Rain- or Reyn-.
The #1,545 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 13,256 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Rainey is an uncertain surname with more than one plausible origin. In Irish and Scottish contexts it is often treated as a spelling of a Gaelic family name such as Ó Raighne, with later forms like Reyney, Reany, Raney, and Rainey reflecting anglicization. Other historical writers also grouped it with older Germanic and English names built on Rain-, Rein-, or Reyn-, so some bearers may share a different origin altogether.
History
The name appears in several nineteenth- and early twentieth-century surname studies, but those writers did not always agree on a single source. In Ireland, it is especially associated with anglicized Gaelic forms and appears alongside variants such as Raney and Reany. In English-language records, Rainey can also be part of a broader cluster of surnames beginning with Rain-/Rein-, which makes the family history depend on the specific line.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Early surname compilations often filed Rainey next to several other rain/rein names because the spelling was fluid and standard spelling was not yet fixed.
From the historical record
“nardson. Rennals, with perhaps Renn, Rainey, Rennie, Renny. and Rennison, are modifications and diminutives. REYNOLDSON. See Reynolds. RHEIMS. Camden mentions this as a”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom