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Dictionary of Medieval Names
from European Sources

Rayner m. Proto-Germanic *ragin 'counsel, might' + Old English here, Old High German heri 'host, army'.

The name of an 11th C Italian saint and two 14th C princes of Monaco.

Withycombe s.n. Rayner notes that the Old English cognate Regenhere was "not much used".

Belgium
Latin
1120 Rainneri (gen) CartStBert 9
Brabant
Latin
1312 Reineri (gen) JeanIII p. 44, Renerus (nom) ibid. p. 19, Reynerus (nom) ibid. p. 17
England
Latin
1185x1186 Reinerus (nom) PR-XXXVI p. 14; 1189 Reiner (nom) GASurv p. 172; 1222 Reignerus (nom) StPaulDom p. 86, Reinerus (nom) ibid. p. 58
Dutch
1577 Reynier AuFr Franssz; 1588 Reijnier ibid. Drael; 1590 Renier ibid. Drael; 1591 Renier ibid. Anyeke; 1593 Renier ibid. Drael; 1594 Reynier ibid. Crae; 1597 Renier ibid. Drael
Estonia
Middle Low German
1436 Reiner BbRT p. 358
France
Latin
c823 Ragenarius (nom) irminon-vol2 52, CE; 834 Raginarius (nom) CartRed II; 10thC Rainerii (gen) St-Bernard-Romans no. 114; c11thC Rainerio (abl) ibid. no. 91; 11thC Ranerio (abl) ibid. no. 112; 1029x1033 Rainerus (nom) CartStPC XII; 1030 Rainerius (nom) StVdM-II 713; 1070 Rainerius (nom) ibid. 740; 1082x1087 Rainerius (nom) St-Bernard-Romans no. 120; 1101x1129 Rainerius (nom) CartStPC XXII, Renerius (nom) ibid. XXII; a1114 Rainerius (nom) ibid. XXXI; 1131 Rainerius (nom) CartNDSaintes XXIII; 1135 Rainerius (nom) clairvaux-12thc 7; 1138x1148 Rainerus (nom) ibid. 21; 1143x1146 Rainerius (nom) ibid. 12; 1147 Rainerii (nom) ibid. 15, Rainerio (abl) ibid. 14, Rainerius (nom) ibid. 14; 1147x1153 Rainerius (nom) ibid. 26; 1147x1162 Rainerius (nom) ibid. 42, Raynerius (nom) ibid. 45; 1158 Reinerius (nom) ibid. 33; 1162 Raineri (gen) CartNDdOurscamp LXIII; 1163 Renerii (gen) clairvaux-12thc 99; 1163–64 Reinerus (nom) ibid. 106; 1164 Reinerii (gen) ibid. 120, Reinerus (nom) ibid. 120; 1170 Raineri (gen) ibid. 137; 1171 Rainerius (nom) ibid. 142; 1172 Raynerius (nom) ibid. 148; 1179 Rainerio (abl) ibid. 173, Rainerius (nom) ibid. 178, Rainero (abl) ibid. 172, Rainerus (nom) ibid. 169, Regnerius (nom) ibid. 181, Regnerus (nom) ibid. 178; 1180 Reineri (gen) CartNDdOurscamp CXLVII, Reinero (abl) RotScaNor p. 28, Reinerus (nom) ibid. p. 27; 1190 Renerus (nom) CartNDdOurscamp CIII; 1205 Reneri (gen) ibid. LXXXV; 1219 Reynerius (nom) CartAub; 1258 Renerus (nom) ArrestReg-volI XXVI, Candlemas; 1301 Reneri (gen) MemPic-vol17 p. 199; 1304 Reneri (gen) CartNDdOurscamp CXXXVI; 1376 Raynerii (gen) St-Bernard-Romans 383; 1378 Reneri (gen) hanquetvol1 180, Renerii (gen) ibid. 773, Renerio (dat) ibid. 196, Renero (dat) ibid. 812, Reyneri (gen) ibid. 177, Reynerio (dat) ibid. 1570, Reynero (dat) ibid. 109; 1579 Renierum (acc) FlorLyon p. 39; 1585 Renierio (dat) ibid. p. 40
Old French
1292 Renier 1292paris p. 2; 1296 Renier paris1296 p. 14; 1301 Renier (obl) MemPic-vol17 p. 234, Reniers (nom) ibid. p. 276; 1313 Renier Paris1313 p. 10
Middle French
1388 Regnier thierry; 1392 Regnier MemBret-II col. 612; 1421 Regnier favier 332; 1579 Reinery FlorLyon p. 40
Germany
Latin
822x875 Raginheri (nom) TradCorb §171; 1086 Reinerus (nom) quix-vol1 61; 1108 Reinero (abl) ibid. 85; 1173 Reinerus (nom) ibid. 81; 1180 Reinerus (nom) ibid. 34; 1189 Reinerus (nom) ibid. 82; 1192 Reinerus (nom) ibid. 40; 1196 Reinero (abl) ibid. 68; 1197 Reinerus (nom) ibid. 83; 1206 Reinero (abl) ibid. 70, Reinerus (nom) ibid. 70; 1210 Reinnero (abl) CDL-1.1.1 IV; 1216 Rainerius (nom) hennes-vol1 25, Ranerii (gen) ibid. 25; 1219 Reinerus (nom) ibid. 42; 1223 Reinerus (nom) quix-vol2 136; 1249 Reinerus (nom) hennes-vol1 131; 1273x1291 Reinheri (gen) UrkRott-1 32, Reinhero (dat) ibid. 32; 1401 Renero (dat) HD1401 no. 134
Ireland
Latin
fin12thC Reiner (nom) MunDocIr III, p. 5
Italy
Latin
1099 Raineri (gen) RCI-Cam1 624; 1100 Ragineri (gen) ibid. 626, Raginerio (dat) ibid. 626, Ragninerio (abl) ibid. 626, Raynerius (nom) ibid. 631; 1198 Rainerio (abl) ChStBo1 III; 1220 Rainerus (nom) hennes-vol1 49; 1265x1339 Rayneri (gen) BBC-Berg 246; 1285 Ranerii (gen) Perugia1285 p. 154; 1304 Raynerii (gen) AnnMin6 XII, Raynerio (abl) ibid. XII, Raynerius (nom) ibid. XII; 1310 Raynerio (dat) MonRav-2 CCCL, Raynerius (nom) ibid. CCCL; 1527 Rainerius (nom) Rome1527 p. 84
1285 Ranutii (gen) Perugia1285 p. 154; 1326 Rayneroti (gen) Friuli-14thC no. 437
The Netherlands
Latin
1277 Reinerus (nom) GesOIJ-1 p. 295; 1288 Reynerus (nom) ibid. p. 296; 1311 Reijnheri (gen) ibid. p. 298; 1324 Reijnheri (gen) ibid. p. 299; 1349 Reijneri (gen) ibid. p. 300, Reijnerus (nom) ibid. p. 300; 1361 Reyneri (gen) ibid. p. 302; 1364 Reijneri (gen) ibid. p. 302; 1369 Reijneri (gen) ibid. p. 303; 1373 reijneri (gen) ibid. p. 303; 1387 Reijneri (gen) ibid. p. 304
Cite as: G. Grim, J. Uckelman, S.L. Uckelman. "Rayner". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2016, no. 4. http://dmnes.org/2016/4/name/Rayner.