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Dictionary of Medieval Names
from European Sources
☙

Reynard m. Proto-Germanic *ragin 'counsel, might' + Old Saxon hard, Old High German hart 'strong, hard'.

The character of Reynard the Fox was an important one in the medieval literary cycles of France, Germany, the Low Countries, and England, thus contributing to the enduring popularity of the name. The name was so closely associated with foxes that the Middle French form ultimately ended up replacing the native word for 'fox' in French.

France
Latin
● c823 Ragenardus (nom) irminon-vol2 5, Palatiolum; c1030 Rainardus (nom) StVdM-II 714; c1040 Rainardus (nom) ibid. 724; 1079x1101 Rainardus (nom) CartStPC IX; 1101x1129 Rainardus (nom) ibid. XVI; 1107 Rainardus (nom) ibid. XVII; 1115x1149 Rainardus (gen) ibid. X; a1116 Rainardi (gen) ibid. XX, Rainardo (dat) ibid. XX; 1126 Rainardus (nom) ibid. IV; 1135 Rainardus (nom) clairvaux-12thc 7; 1147 Rainardus (nom) ibid. 16; 1162 Rainardus (nom) ibid. 39; 1163–64 Reiniardus (nom) ibid. 110; 1164 Reinardus (nom) ibid. 121
Old French
● 1296 Renart paris1296 p. 29
Germany
Latin
● 1142 Reinhart (nom) mairhofer I; 1145 Regenhardus (nom) ibid. LXI[XXI]; 1147 Regenhart (nom) ibid. XXVI; 1149 Regenhardus (nom) ibid. XXXV; 1151 Regenhardus (nom) ibid. XXXVI; 1174 Reinardus (nom) quix-vol1 32; 1237 Reinhardo (abl) hennes-vol1 98, Reinhardus (nom) ibid. 98; 1253 Reynhardi (gen) ibid. 147
Cite as: S.L. Uckelman. "Reynard". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2015, no. 2. http://dmnes.org/2015/2/name/Reynard.