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Surname Etymology and Meaning of REUTER

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Name meanings and etymologies are often disputed. The information here is compiled from freely available sources, and no claims whatsoever are made for accuracy, either historical or etymological.

1. German: derivative of Middle High German (ge)riute ‘clearing’, hence a topographic name for someone who lived in a clearing or an occupational name for a clearer of woodland. Reut(e) and Reit are frequent elements of place names, indicating location in a forest or former forest.
2. German: derogatory nickname from Middle High German riutære ‘footpad’, ‘highwayman’; later, possibly an occupational name for a mounted soldier (see Reiter).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names (2003)