Where does “Rainer” come from?
Rainer (Finnish) comes from German Rainer, from Old High German Reginheri, from Proto-Germanic Raginaharjaz, from Proto-Germanic harjaz, from Proto-Indo-European kóryos, from Proto-Indo-European ḱer-, from Proto-Indo-European kr̥-, from Proto-Indo-European ker- — army.
Ancestry of “Rainer”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Rainer | — |
| 2 | Old High German | Reginheri | of the 8th and 9th C., including Reginhar, Bishop of Passau |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | Raginaharjaz | A male given name |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | harjaz | army; army leader; commander; warrior |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kóryos | war; troops; army; war, troops |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱer- | to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kr̥- | to turn, to bend |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ker- | army |