Reimer
A Germanic surname that likely comes from the old personal name Reginmar, meaning roughly “advice” or “counsel” + “famous” or “renowned.”
The #3,927 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 34,097 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is generally treated as a shortened or altered form of the old Germanic given name Reginmar (also seen in related forms like Reimar and Reimerdes). The first element is from Old High German words for “counsel” or “decision,” while the second element is the familiar Germanic name element meaning “famous” or “renowned.” In that sense, the surname began as a patronymic from a personal name rather than from a place or occupation.
History
The historical sources here point to Reimer as a North German and broader German surname, with related spellings such as Reimers and Reimerdes. It also appears in later German-American surname studies as part of the Reimer/Rein- name family, where spelling variation is common and some forms were normalized over time. In English-speaking countries it is usually encountered through German and Mennonite or other immigrant families.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some early surname scholars explicitly linked Reimer to the old personal name Reginmar, and one source notes the genitive form Reimerdes as “son of Reimer.”
From the historical record
“Reent, m. ; Reents, fam. n. Reimer, m. (Regimar) ; Reimers, fam. n. Reiner, m. (Reinhard) ; Reiners, fam. n.”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)