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[Facts] Meaning and origin of the name Reichen
I am searching for the Origin and Meaning of the name "Reichen"
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Reichen, with a ch sound not pronounceable in English, is a German verb meaning "to reach". I would like to emphasize that it is a German WORD, and not a German NAME. In German it would be the equivalent of naming an English baby "Reach".
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If you got this name from the celebrity Reichen Lehmkuhl, this seems to be a name he invented. He was born Richard, but legally changed it when he became an adult. Reichardt and Reichert are German forms of Richard, and there are some German surnames that begin with Reichen-, such as Reichenbach. The "reich" syllable in all of these goes back to an Old Germanic root than meant "rich" or "powerful". But Reichen itself does not seem to exist as a German given name or first name, and Mr. Lehmkuhl probably invented it by altering Reichert to give it the -en ending so popular in so many boys' names today.

This message was edited 8/6/2007, 10:26 AM

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