Last updated: March 2026

Character Name

Reinhard

Meaning — A Germanic masculine name composed of "ragin" meaning "counsel", "judgment", or "power" and "hard" meaning "brave", "hardy", or "strong" — thus "strong in counsel" or "brave advisor". The name was borne by several medieval German ecclesiastics and nobles. Reinhard Heydrich (1904–1942), the architect of the Holocaust, gave the name a deeply sinister modern resonance; in fiction the name spans medieval heroism and 20th-century villainy.·Old High German origin·Male·RINE-hart

Reinhard Reinhard is a name that has been permanently marked by the 20th century — its combination of intellectual counsel and hard courage, which in medieval usage suggested a wise and bold nobleman, now carries the shadow of its most notorious bearer. In contemporary fiction, Reinhard works best either in pre-modern historical settings where that darkness is not yet present, or in modern/wartime fiction where the character's name signals a particular moral weight.

Best genres for Reinhard

Historical FictionLiterary FictionThrillerPeriod Drama

Famous characters named Reinhard

No verified literary characters with this exact given name were found yet. We are continuously expanding this section.


Variations & nicknames

ReinhardReinhardtReinholdRainer

Pairs well with

Reinhard von HeydrichReinhard SchreiberReinhard BrauerReinhard FaberReinhard HolzReinhard Braun

Writing a character named Reinhard?

Hearth's distraction-free editor helps you develop characters and write every day.

Start writing free

Related names


More Old High German names

Waldemar

“Waldemar is an Old High German name composed of the elements "waltan" meaning "to rule, to have power" and "mari" meaning "famous, renowned". It thus means "famous ruler" or "powerful in fame". The name was borne by several medieval rulers, including Valdemar I of Denmark (the Great), who expanded Danish power in the 12th century. Scandinavian forms include Valdemar and Vladimer.”

Otfried

“A Germanic masculine name composed of "od" or "aud" meaning "wealth", "fortune", or "prosperity" and "frid" meaning "peace" — thus "peaceful wealth" or "prosperous peace". The name is historically significant as the name of Otfrid of Weissenburg (c.800–c.875), the Frankish monk who composed the Evangelienbuch, the earliest surviving major literary work in the Old High German language — making the name associated with the very origins of German literature.”

Hartmann

“A Germanic masculine name composed of "hard" meaning "brave", "hardy", or "strong" and "mann" meaning "man" — thus "strong man" or "brave man". The name is most significant through Hartmann von Aue (c.1160–c.1210), one of the greatest Middle High German poets, author of Erec, Iwein, Der arme Heinrich, and Gregorius — a man whose name suggests simple physical directness but whose work is among the most psychologically subtle of medieval European literature.”

Enno

“Enno is a Low German and Frisian masculine name, a short form of names beginning with the Old High German element "agi" or "agni" (edge of a sword) or alternatively a pet form of names beginning with "erm-" or "irm-" (whole, great). It was common in medieval East Frisia and the Low Countries, where several Frisian chieftains bore the name. It remains in use in northern Germany and the Netherlands.”

Adelheid

“A Germanic feminine name composed of "adal" meaning "noble" and "heid" meaning "kind", "type", or "appearance" — thus "of noble kind" or "noble type". It is the original Germanic form of the name that became Adelaide in French and English. The name was borne by Saint Adelaide of Italy (931–999), Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, and by Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, Queen consort of William IV of Britain.”

Siegfried

“A Germanic masculine name composed of "sieg" meaning "victory" and "frid" meaning "peace" — thus "victorious peace" or "peace through victory". Siegfried is the central hero of Germanic legend, the dragon-slayer who bathes in dragon's blood to become invulnerable (except for a leaf-shaped spot on his back), and whose tragic murder drives the Nibelungenlied. Richard Wagner used the name for his operatic hero in the Ring Cycle.”


Explore more