Frequency: (1718)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
German: 1. from a short form of any of the various personal names formed with the element ragin ‘counsel’, for example Reinbold, Reinhard (see Reinhardt). 2. variant of Rain. 3. perhaps a habitational name for someone who lived by the Rhine.
GIVEN NAMES: German 4%. Hans (3), Kurt (3), Otto (2), Dieter, Dietrich, Erna, Fritz, Gerda, Hedwig, Klaus, Manfred,Wolfgang.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
