1. Occupational name for a counsellor or nickname for a wise person, from Middle High German rater ‘adviser’. 2. A variant of Rathert. 3. (Räther): habitational name for someone from a place called Rath (see Rath) 4. a habitational name from places named Räther and Räthern in northeastern Germany.
indicate the level to which a name has been verified.