German male and female names. German surnames: meaning and origin

Due to their sonority and beauty, German family nicknames are very popular among the people of many countries. Each of the proper names is unique and has a specific origin. Anyone who wants to join the culture of the peoples of Germany will be able to choose a nickname to their liking, whether it sounds beautiful or has a sacred meaning.

German names and surnames

The history of the appearance of German names and surnames begins in ancient times. Personal names were intended to carry not only beautiful combination, but also magical meaning, which endowed the owner with certain character qualities. The family nicknames of the Germans had a slightly different character of formation. They began to emerge from the meanings of nicknames, which reflected:

• already existing bright qualities of a person (Braun - brown, Schwarz - black, Klein - small);
• the area where he lived (von Berne, von der Vogelweide);
• the profession of the owner or his type of activity (Becker - baker, Koch - cook, Bauer - peasant);
• many were formed from personal names (Peters, Walter).

Gradually, peculiar nicknames began to be written down in official documents and acquired the meaning of the first German surnames, which were adopted by all the descendants of the people who bore them. Business papers began to distribute them widely. In many modern German families, it is customary to address servants simply by name, without using the addresses that are familiar to this European country and have a respectful meaning:

• Herr – for men;
• Frau – for women.

The prefix "von" in German surnames

Many Germanic surnames have the prefix “von” at the beginning. It was very honorable to have one, since it was assigned exclusively to people of noble blood - aristocrats. In ancient times, only feudal lords - people who owned servants and land plots - could have such a registration. Today, the prefix “von” in German surnames can be found among people of any kind of activity, since everyone noble privileges were cancelled.

German surnames for girls

Having sonorous names girls can take second place foreign origin. To address women with respect, the word "Frau" is used in Germany, meaning "mistress." Beautiful German female surnames with their meaning for girls:

• Kaufman - merchant;
• Becker - baker;
• Riger – from Riga;
• Klee – clover;
• Hertz - courage;
• Reuss - on behalf of;
• Schultz – headman;
• Mayer – farmer, burgomaster;
• Till is a strong ruler;
• Junghans - on behalf of the family.

German male surnames

Noble and majestic meaning must have male German surnames. Representatives of the stronger sex can choose them by translation, in accordance with their profession or appearance. To emphasize significance, the word “Herr” should be used when addressing. List of popular beautiful male German proper names with their meaning:

• Fisher - fisherman;
• Schmidt – blacksmith;
• Becker - baker;
• Koch is a cook;
• Richter – judge;
• Brown - brown;
• Lange – big;
• Klein – small;
• Schroeder - tailor;
• Koehler - coal miner;
• Kening is the king;
• Krause – curly;
• Lehmann is a landowner.

Popular German surnames

Common German surnames are often used as nicknames. They are beautiful, noble, sonorous. Many people have such family nicknames. famous people. List of popular beautiful Germanic proper names with meanings:

• Muller - miller;
• Mayer - land manager;
• Weber - weaver;
• Wagner - carriage maker;
• Schultz – headman;
• Hoffmann - courtier;
• Schaefer - shepherd;
• Bauer is a peasant;
• Wolf - wolf;
• Neumann is a new man;
• Zimmerman – carpenter;
• Kruger is a potter;
• Schwartz – black;
• Hartmann - from a male personal name.

There are other beautiful nicknames:

• Walter;
• Berg;
• Borman;
• Bremer;
• Brunner;
• Ganz;
• Gruber;
• Geller;
• Seiler;
• Simmel;
• Singer;
• Keller;
• Kramer;
• Liebknecht;
• Leitner;
• Merkel;
• Meyer;
• Moritz;
• Neller;
• Osterman;
• Pearl;
• Preuss;
• Riedel;
• Rogge;
• Rothman;
• Frieze;
• Fuchs;
• Hoffman;
• Zuckerman;
• Schwartz;
• Schiller;
• Schmidt;
• Schneider;
• Shredder;
• Matte;
• Ebel.

Personal German names belong to the most ancient onyms. German surnames appeared much later.

The German personal names that we encounter today accumulated in it gradually and were borrowed from various sources. Some of them go back to ancient Germanic onyms, many modern German names in different time were borrowed from other peoples. There is a particularly strong craving for foreign names these days.

In modern German-speaking culture, a person has two types of names: a personal name (Rufname) and a surname (Familienname). Patronymic (Vatersname) is absent in the German environment. In everyday life, the word der Name denotes a surname: “Mein Name ist Müller.”; "Wie war doch gleich der Name?" (“Your last name?” is a common question from a person who has forgotten the last name of the interlocutor): Der Name steht an der Wohnungstür. In official documents where required full name

, there is a column “Vorname und Name”, i.e. personal name and surname.

Stories of German personal names

The oldest names of Germanic origin originated in the 7th–4th centuries. BC. As in other Indo-European languages, they are composed of two parts and were designed to magically “influence” a person’s fate, give him strength, courage, victory, protection of the gods, etc. This is reflected in the etymology of ancient names that exist today such as Eberhart (“stark wie ein Eber”), Bemhart (“stark wie der Bär”), Wolfgang, cf. Russians Svyatoslav, Gorisveta, Vladimir. From the oldest layer of personal names - about 2,000 of them have been discovered - today there are hardly a hundred active ones. Already in the early Middle Ages, the “magical meaning” of personal names was completely lost. In the second half of the 8th century. names associated with Christianity begin to penetrate into the German language from Italy: first, names from the Old Testament - Adam (Hebrew “first-born”), Susanne (Hebrew “lily”), then Andreas (Greek “brave”), Agathe (“ kind"), Katharina (“pure”), from Latin – Viktor “winner”, Beata “happy”. Biblical names were borrowed especially actively in the 15th century. Moreover, in Catholic families preference was and is given to the names of saints - patrons of infants, in Lutheran families - to the names of biblical characters. Personal names with religious content were created from

german words
and basics: Traugott, Fürchtegott, Gotthold, etc.
The choice of a personal name is often influenced by fashion – then these are romantically “Nordic” (Knut, Olaf, Sven, Birgit), borrowed from ancient Germanic mythology or from the heroic epic (Siegfrid, Siegmund, etc.),- That
French names
(Annette, Claire, Nicole, Yvonne),

The fashion for names is largely shaped by imitation. In the old days, children were willingly given the names of monarchs (in Prussia - Friedrich, Wilhelm; in Saxony - August, Johann, Albert; in Austria - Joseph, Leopold, Maximilian), as well as the names of heroes of literary works.

Today, when choosing a name, there is a strong influence of cinema, television and pop music, and there is also a craving for originality, uniqueness, and unusualness of the name. Previously known names are often written in a foreign style: Elly, Sylvia, Gaby (instead of Elli, Silvia, Gabi). Some names have gone out of fashion. They are given very rarely today. People of the older generation have names that are no longer used today. (...)

In everyday life, many German personal names, especially long ones, are abbreviated, for example: Ulrich –> Ulli; Bertolt –> Bert(i); Bernhard –> Bernd; Katharina –> Kat(h)e; Friedrich –> Fritz; Heinrich –> Heinz, Harry; Johannes –> Hans; Susanne –> Susi. Some of these so-called hypocoristic names have now begun to be used on a par with the original ones, i.e. independently, for example: Fritz, Heinz, Hans.

German surnames

German surnames developed much later than German personal names. Origin of German surnames begins with the Middle Ages. They developed from so-called nicknames (Beinamen), which originally contained information
– about the origin of the bearer of the name,
– about his place of birth: Walter von der Vogelweide, Dietrich von Berne.

Many nicknames indicated some physical or other differences of a given person: Friedrich Barbarossa (= Rotbart, “Redbeard”), Heinrich der Lowe, etc. Over time, this nickname began to be passed on to the heirs and enshrined in official documents.

The famous German linguist W. Fleischer points out that from the 12th century. the appearance of German surnames begins first in big cities in the West. In the north, in the province of Hanover, they were introduced only at the beginning of the 19th century. by order of Napoleon. Family names and surnames were assigned primarily to feudal lords. (...) Fleischer gives as an example characters

Lessing's plays "Minna von Barnhelm": Fräulein von Barnhelm, Major von Tellheim - nobles, servants - Just, Franziska.

And today it is customary to call domestic servants simply by name, in contrast to the usual address:

Frau + first or last name

Herr + first or last name
The overwhelming majority of modern German surnames were formed from personal names (Walter, Hermann30 most common German surnames

4. Fischer - fisherman

6. Weber - weaver

8. Becker - baker



12. Koch - cook



16. Wolf (Wolf) - wolf













30. König - king
, Peters, Jacobi), nicknames (Bart, Stolz) and names of professions and occupations (Müller, Schmidt, Koch, Schulze, Schumacher).

The most popular German surnames. List of 30 surnames

Herr + first or last name
The overwhelming majority of modern German surnames were formed from personal names (Walter, Hermann30 most common German surnames
3. Schneider - tailor
4. Fischer - fisherman
5. Meier - property manager
6. Weber - weaver
7. Wagner - carriage maker, carriage maker
8. Becker - baker
9. Schulz - headman
10. Hofmann, Hoffmann - courtier
11. Schäfer - shepherd
12. Koch - cook
13. Bauer - peasant
14. Richter - judge
15. Klein - small
16. Wolf (Wolf) - wolf
17. Schröder - tailor
18. Neumann - new man
19. Schwarz - black (black-haired)
20. Zimmermann - carpenter
21. Brown (Braun) - brown
22. Kruger - potter
23. Hartmann - from the male name Hartmann
24. Lange - long (large)
25. Werner - from the male name Werner
26. Krause - curly
27. Lehmann - landowner
28. Köhler - coal miner
29. Hermann - from the male name Herrmann
30. König - king

List of popular German surnames

* Abicht
* Adler
* Eikhenwald
* Albrecht
* Altman
* Appel
* Arnold

* Baade
* Baum
* Bauman
* Baumgarten
* Baur
* Bauer
* Bach
* Bachman
* Bebel
* Benz
* Berg
* Berger
* Bergman
* Berend
* Behrens
* Bilderling
* Form
* Block
* Blucher
* Bonke
* Borzig
* Borman
* Brandt
* Braunfels
* Bremer
* Brenner
* Brunner
* Brunet
* Burckhardt
* Bülow

* Wagner
* Weigl
* Weiss
* Walser
* Walter
* Wasserman
* Weber
* Wegener
* Veltman
* Wenzel
* Werner
* Winkelhock
* Winterhalter
* Virt
* Wolf
* Wolzogen
* Wulf

* Hasenclover
* Ganz
* Hardenberg
* Hartung
* Goebbels
* Haeckel
* Gehlen
* Geller
* Genkel
* Goering
* Hertz

* Hess
* Hesse
* Himmler (disambiguation)
* Hirsch
* Girshman
* Hitler
* Glazenap
*Grimm
* Grossman
* Gruber

* Delbrück
* Diels
* Drexler

*Zach
* Zaks
* Zaleman
* Seidemann
* Seydlitz
* Seiler
* Semper
* Sievers
* Siegel
* Zilberman
* Silberstein
* Simmel
* Singer
* Sommer

* Yeager
* Jens
* Jensen
* Jentsch
* Yerg
* Josef
* Jon
* Yost

* Kade
* Kallenberg
* Callisen
* Kalb
* Kalkbrenner
* Kaltenbrunner
* Cantor
* Carus
* Kaulbach
* Kaufman
* Cauer
* Katz
* Koehler
* Keller
* Kellerman
* Ker
* Kirchner
* Kirchner
* Kittel
* Cool
*Klee
* Klein
* Kleiner
* Kleinerman
* Kleinman
* Kleist
* Klemperer
* Klenze
* Klinger
* Klotz
* Kleiber

* Klein
* Kleiner
* Knecht
* Kolbe
* Kopp
* Corf
* Kramer
* Krause
* Kraus
* Krebs
* Krenz
* Kretschmer
* Kruse
* Kun
* Kurtz
* Küng
* Köhler
* Koehne
* Koenig
* Koestlin

* Lamprecht
* Landsberg
* Laufer
* Leitner
* Lenz
* Liebknecht
* Lipsius
* Lichtenberg
*Loos

* Mayer
* Mackensen
* Mahler
* Mann
*Mezières
* Meyendorff
* Meyer
* Meissner
* Meltzer
* Meltzer
* Merkel
* Merz
* Metzger
*Moderzon
* Morgner
* Moritz
* Mozart
*Müller
* Mobius

* Nagel
* Bernhard
* Nikolai
* Nolken
* Notbeck
* Nöller

* Overback
* Osterman

* Patkul
*Pearl
* Preuss

* Ratzenberger
* Rau
* Rausch
* Rebinder
* Reinhardt
* Rennenkampf
* Riedel
* Rickert
* Rogge
* Rosenbaum
* Romberg
* Rothman
* Rothschild
* Rumpf
* Rumpff

* Sartorius
* Segal

* Thyssen
* Tischbein

* Feigenbaum
* Feuerbach
* Finkelstein
* Fischer
* Fleischer
* Fleishman
* Voigt
* Von Richthofen
* Von Feuerbach
* Franke
* Frieze

* Frisch
* Fuchs
* Furstenberg

* Haas
* Hagen
* Huckle
* Hanke
* Herzog
* Honecker
* Hopp
* Hoffman

* Zimmerman
* Zuckerman
* Zurbriggen

* Schwartz
* Shvartsman
* Schweitzer
* Scheidemann
* Schelling
* Schaefer
* Schaeffer
* Shekhtel
* Schiller
* Shirman

* Slate
* Schlechter
* Schmidt
* Schmitz
* Schneider
* Shneiderman
* Scholl
* Spiegel
* Sprenger
* Schreyer
* Shredder
* Stackelberg
* Stein
* Stern
* Schubert
* Shulman
* Schultze
* Schulze
* Schumacher

* Ebel
* Ebert
* Erdman
* Etinger

IN European countries, as in the rest of the world, a person’s identity has been identified for many centuries by his name. An example is the son of God Jesus himself, who was named Emmanuel at birth and then called Yeshua. The need to distinguish different people with the same name required explanatory additions. This is how the Savior began to be called Jesus of Nazareth.

When did the Germans get surnames?

German surnames arose according to the same principle as in other countries. Their formation among the peasantry of various lands continued until the 19th century, that is, it coincided in time with the completion of state construction. The formation of a united Germany required a clearer and more unambiguous definition of who is who.

However, already in the 12th century, nobility existed on the territory of the current Federal Republic of Germany, and at the same time German surnames first appeared. As in other European countries, patronymics are not used for personal identification here. But at birth, a baby is usually given two names. You can address any person by adding a word indicating their gender. Women's German surnames are no different from men's, they just use the prefix “Frau” in front of them.

Types of German surnames

According to linguistic origin, German surnames can be divided into groups. The first and most common is formed from names, mostly male. This is explained by the fact that the mass assignment of surnames occurred in a fairly short (in the historical sense) period, and there was simply no time for the manifestation of any sophisticated imagination.

Surnames derived from given names

The simplest of them are those in the creation of which they did not think for a long time, but simply formed them on behalf of their first owner. Some peasant's name was Walter, and so his descendants received that surname. We also have Ivanovs, Sidorovs and Petrovs, and their origin is similar to the German Johannes, Peters or Hermanns. From the point of view of historical background, such popular German surnames say little, except that some ancient ancestor was called Peters.

Profession as a morphological basis of a surname

German surnames are somewhat less common, indicating the professional affiliation of their first owner, one might say, the ancestor. But the diversity of this group is much wider. The most famous surname in it is Müller, which means “miller” in translation. The English equivalent is Miller, and in Russia or Ukraine it is Melnik, Melnikov or Melnichenko.

The famous composer Richard Wagner could have assumed that one of his ancestors studied freight transportation on his own cart, the ancestor of the storyteller Hoffmann owned his own farm yard, and the great-grandfather of the pianist Richter was a judge. The Schneiders and Schroeders once did tailoring, and the Singers loved to sing. There are other interesting German male surnames. The list continues with Fischer (fisherman), Becker (baker), Bauer (peasant), Weber (weaver), Zimmerman (carpenter), Schmidt (blacksmith) and many others.

Once upon a time during the war there was a Gauleiter Koch, the same one who was blown up by underground partisans. Translated, his surname means “cook.” Yes, he made some porridge...

Surnames as a description of appearance and character

Some male and possibly female German surnames are derived from the appearance or character of their first owner. For example, the word “lange” means “long” in translation, and it can be assumed that its original founder was distinguished tall, for which he received such a nickname. Klein (little) is his complete opposite. Krause means “curly”; such an attractive feature of the hair of some Frau who lived a couple of centuries ago can be inherited. Fuchs' ancestors were most likely as cunning as foxes. The ancestors of Weiss, Brown or Schwartz were, respectively, blonde, brown-haired or brunette. The Hartmans were distinguished by excellent health and strength.

Slavic origin of German surnames

The German lands in the east always bordered on and this created conditions for the mutual penetration of cultures. Well-known German surnames with the endings “-itz”, “-ov”, “-of”, “-ek”, “-ke” or “-ski” have a distinct Russian or Polish origin.

Lützow, Disterhoff, Dennitz, Modrow, Janke, Radecki and many others have long become familiar, and their total share is a fifth of total number German surnames. In Germany they are perceived as one of their own.

The same applies to the ending “-er”, which comes from the word “yar”, meaning a person in the Old Slavic language. A painter, a carpenter, a fisherman, a baker are obvious examples of such cases.

During the period of Germanization, many similar surnames were simply translated into German, choosing the appropriate roots or replacing the ending with “-er”, and now nothing reminds of the Slavic origin of their owners (Smolyar - Smoler, Sokolov - Sokol - Falk).

Background Barons

There are very beautiful German surnames, consisting of two parts: the main and a prefix, usually “von” or “der”. They contain information not only about unique appearance features, but also about famous historical events in which the owners of these nicknames took part, sometimes actively. Therefore, descendants are proud of such names and often remember their ancestors when they want to emphasize their own birth. Walter von der Vogelweid - it sounds! Or von Richthoffen, pilot and "Red Baron".

However, it is not only past glory that causes such complications in writing. The origin of German surnames can be much more prosaic and talk about the area in which the person was born. What, for example, does Dietrich von Bern mean? Everything is clear: his ancestors came from the capital of Switzerland.

German surnames of Russian people

Germans have lived in Russia since pre-Petrine times, populating entire areas called “settlements” according to ethnic principles. However, then all Europeans were called that way, but under the great reformer emperor the influx of immigrants from German lands was encouraged in every possible way. The process gained momentum during the reign of Catherine the Great.

German colonists settled in the Volga region (Saratov and Tsaritsin provinces), as well as in Novorossiya. Big number Lutherans later converted to Orthodoxy and assimilated, but they retained their German surnames. For the most part, they are the same as those worn by settlers who came to the Russian Empire during the 16th-18th centuries, with the exception of those cases when the clerks who prepared the documents made clerical errors and mistakes.

Surnames considered Jewish

Rubinstein, Hoffman, Aizenstein, Weisberg, Rosenthal and many other names of citizens Russian Empire, the USSR and post-Soviet countries are mistakenly considered Jewish by many. This is wrong. However, there is some truth in this statement.

The fact is that Russia, starting from the end of the 17th century, became a country where every enterprising and hard-working person could find their place in life. There was enough work for everyone, new cities were built at an accelerated pace, especially in Novorossiya, which had been conquered from Ottoman Empire. It was then that Nikolaev, Ovidiopol, Kherson and, of course, the pearl of the south of Russia - Odessa - appeared on the map.

Extremely favorable economic conditions were created for foreigners coming to the country, as well as for its own citizens who wished to develop new lands, and political stability, supported military power regional leader, guaranteed that this situation would remain for a long time.

Currently, Lustdorf (Jolly Village) has become one of the Odessa suburbs, and then it was a German colony, the main occupation of whose residents was agriculture, mainly viticulture. They also knew how to brew beer here.

Jews, famous for their business savvy, trading spirit and craft skills, also did not remain indifferent to the call of the Russian Empress Catherine. In addition, musicians, artists and other artists of this nationality came from Germany. Most of them had German surnames, and they spoke Yiddish, which in essence is one of the dialects of the German language.

At that time there was a “Pale of Settlement”, which, however, outlined a fairly large and not the worst part of the empire. In addition to the Black Sea region, Jews chose many areas of the current Kyiv region, Bessarabia and other fertile lands, building small towns. It is also important that living outside the Pale of Settlement was mandatory only for those Jews who remained faithful to Judaism. Having converted to Orthodoxy, everyone could settle in any part of the vast country.

Thus, immigrants from Germany of two nationalities became bearers of German surnames.

Unusual German surnames

In addition to the indicated groups of German surnames, derived from professions, hair color, and appearance features, there is one more, rare, but wonderful. And she talks about the glorious qualities of character, good disposition and fun for which the ancestors of the person bearing this name were famous. An example is Alisa Freundlich, who worthily confirms the reputation of her ancestors. “Kind”, “friendly” - this is how this German surname is translated.

Or Neumann. " New person" - isn’t it beautiful? How great it is to delight those around you, and yourself, every day with freshness and novelty!

Or economic Wirtz. Or Luther with pure thoughts and an open heart. Or Jung is young, regardless of the number of years he has lived.

Such interesting German surnames, the list of which can be continued endlessly!

The meaning and origin of male and female German names and surnames. Ancient and modern German names. Interesting facts about German names.

4.08.2016 / 14:19 | Varvara Pokrovskaya

You have acquaintances, friends, business partners from Germany and you want to know more about their names and surnames. Then this article will surely be useful to you.

Features of German names

German names were formed in several stages under the influence of political, historical, and cultural processes. Based on their origin, they can be divided into three groups:

• ancient Germanic names

They were formed back in the 7th–4th centuries. BC e. Closely associated with magic, mythology, totemic, military symbols and were intended to influence future fate and the character of a person. Some of them have Scandinavian origin. Consist of two parts. In modern use there are no more than several hundred of them. The rest are long outdated.

• Latin, Greek, Hebrew (Biblical) names

They are still widespread today due to their versatility. They are familiar to representatives of any country and go well with surnames. They are used both in their original form and with some phonetic changes characteristic of the German language. For example: Victor, Katharina (Ekaterina), Nicholas (Nikolai), Alexander, Johann (Ivan), Joseph (Joseph), etc.

• foreign names used in abbreviated form

Fashion for them appeared in the middle of the last century. At first they were French - Marie, Annette, Catherine. Later they were joined by Russians (Sasha, Natasha, Vera, Vadim) and Arabic/Turkic variants Jem (Jamil), Abu (Abdullah) and others.

The meanings of some ancient Germanic names

Until now, in Germany there is a tradition of giving a newborn several names, sometimes there are up to ten. Upon reaching adulthood, this number can be reduced at your discretion. The usual practice is 1-2 first names + last names. Middle names are not used.

Did you know that the full name of the legendary Catherine I is Sophie Auguste Friederike von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg, the brilliant Mozart is Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Theophilus Mozart, the current Vice-Chancellor of Germany is Angela Dorothea Merkel (Kasner) - Angela Dorothea Merkel (Kasner)?

But they are far from the record holder. In 1904, one baby was given a name of 740 letters at birth. It looked something like this: Adolph Blaine Charles David Earl Frederick Gerald Hubert Irwin John Kenneth Lloyd Martin Nero Oliver Paul Quincy Randolph Sherman Thomas Juncas Victor William Xerxes Yancy Zeus Wolfe schlegelsteinhausenbergerdor + several hundred more difficult-to-read and practically untranslatable letter combinations. It was accompanied by an equally impressive surname, but a little more modest - only 540 letters.

Restrictions

German society is known for its conservatism and pedantry. This also affected names. Unlike Russia and the CIS countries, which are liberal in this regard, where registry offices quite officially register children with the names Tsar, Cinderella, Dolphin and even Lucifer, such a number will not work in Germany. Parents who love exotic things will have to defend their opinion in court, the decision of which is unlikely to be comforting for them. There are a number of restrictions enshrined at the legislative level + a list of allowed names.

Forbidden:

• Giving a name without a clear gender characteristic, i.e. calling a boy a female name or a girl a male name. The exception is the name Maria. It can be chosen as the second male: Paul Maria, Hans Maria, Otto Maria.
• Use topographic names - cities, towns, countries.
• Religious taboos - Allah, Judas, Demon, Christ, Buddha.
• Offensive, controversial names. For example, Peter Silie - Parsley.
• Surnames of famous people.
• Titles.
• Brand names - Porsche, Pampers, Joghurt.
• Call children from the same family the same name. But this ban can be easily circumvented if desired. It is enough to register double names with the same first names, but different second names: Anna-Maria and Anna-Martha, Karl-Richard and Karl-Stefan.

For obvious reasons, to this day the name Adolf is an unspoken taboo.

Phonetics

Incorrect: Heinrich Heine, Wilhelm Hohenzollern

Right: Heinrich Heine, Wilhelm Hohenzollern

Error: Hans, Helmut

Right: Hans, Helmut

But: Herbert, Gerwig, Gerda, Herman

German female names

In modern Germany, abbreviated female names have become widespread. Instead of Katarina - Katya, Margarita - Margot. You can often find forms formed by merging two different names: Anna + Margaret = Annagret, Maria + Magdalena = Marlena, Anna + Maria = Annamaria, Anna + Lisa = Anneliese, Hannah + Laura (Laurin) = Hannelore. German female names end in -lind(a), -hild(a), -held(a), -a, ine, -i. An exception is the name Erdmut (Erdmute).

List of common German female names:

• Agna, Agnetta, Agnes - chaste, holy;
• Anna, Annie - mercy (of God), grace;
• Astrid - beautiful, goddess of beauty;
• Beata - blessed;
• Bertha - brilliant, magnificent;
• Wilda - wild;
• Ida - kind;
• Laura - laurel;
• Margareta, Greta is a pearl;
• Rosemary - reminder;
• Sophie, Sophia - wisdom;
• Teresa is strong and loved;
• Ursula - bear;
• Hannah - God is merciful;
• Helga - divine;
• Helena - torch;
• Hilda - practical;
• Frida - peace-loving;

Erma is harmonious.

German male names

In the 20th century, the majestic names of German kings and emperors - Albert, Karl, Wilhelm, Friedrich, Heinrich - were replaced by simpler ones - Andreas, Alexander, Alex, Michael, Klaus, Peter, Eric, Frank. Names have become widespread literary heroes and characters from films: Til, Daniel, Chris, Emil, Otto, Arno, Felix, Rocky. Most German male names end with consonants, often ending with letter combinations -brand, -ger, -bert, -hart, -mut. Less often - oh.

German names and surnames

The first German surnames appeared in the Middle Ages and belonged exclusively to aristocrats. They indicated a person’s origin, personal qualities, and family names. Ordinary people were addressed simply by name. By the beginning of the 20th century, all Germans had surnames, regardless of class.

In modern Germany, surnames mostly consist of one word, occasionally two. The law of 1993 abolished three-syllable or more constructions. Aristocratic prefixes- von der, von, der, von und zu are written together with the main part of the surname: von Berne - Vonbern, der Löwe - Derlöwe. The indication of titles was abolished back in 1919.

Surnames of Slavic origin in Germany do not change their endings, regardless of whether they belong to a man or a woman. Upon marriage, both spouses receive a common surname. Traditionally this is the husband's surname. It is also given to children. Changing surnames in Germany by at will not allowed. The exception is cases with discordant variants. In German identity documents, the main name is indicated first, then the second, and then the last name: Michael Stefan Haase, Mari Stefani Klain, Hanns Gerbert Rosenberg.

Common German surnames

German boy names

In the family, when communicating with peers or in informal settings, diminutives and affectionate terms are used to address boys. short forms names formed by adding the suffixes -lein, -le, -cher, Heinz - Heinzle, Klaus - Klauslein, Peter - Peterle (by analogy with the Russians -chka, -chek-, -enka, - ochka: Vovochka, Vanechka, Petenka).

German girl names

The same rule applies when creating girlish diminutive names: Petra, Velma, Irma - Petralein, Velmacher, Irmachen, Rosechen. When formally addressing girls over 15 years old, Fraeulein is added before the name, to lovely lady younger age- Maedchen.

Beautiful German names

Inherent German language the harshness of the sound gives uniqueness and unique charm to both native German names and borrowed ones, for example Italian or Russian. Beauty and euphony, of course, are subjective concepts, but we managed to compile the top most beautiful German names according to users of social networks.

Top 10 most beautiful female German names

1. Alma
2. Angelica
3. Iolanta
4. Isolde
5. Louise
6. Mirabella
7. Emily
8. Paula
9. Silvia
10. Frederica

Top 10 most beautiful male German names:

1. Stephen
2. Elias
3. Lucas
4. Martin
5. Jurgen
6. Gabriel
7. Emil
8. Ralph
9. Theodore (Theo)

Meaning of German names

Biblical names are found quite often in Germany, only in a slightly modified form. Their meaning corresponds to the original source.

Bible names

Popular German names

According to data obtained from several hundred German birth registration departments of the Standesamt, the most popular female names in 2015 were Sophie, Marie, Mia. Among the men, the leaders are Lucas, Alexander, Max, Ben. Also, many parents are increasingly choosing somewhat old-fashioned names for their newborns: Karl, Julius, Otto, Oswald.

Names for German Shepherd

A correctly chosen dog name will greatly facilitate the process of training and everyday interaction with the animal. The best option a name of one or two syllables, with voiced consonants, partially characterizing the character or appearance pet. It is recommended to name puppies from the same litter with names starting with the same letter.

For German Shepherds - smart, disciplined, stately - nicknames-titles such as Kaiser, Count, Lord, King, Milady are suitable. You can use words in German: Schwarz - black, Brown - brown, Schnell - fast, Spock - Calm, Edel - noble. The names of various German provinces sound beautiful in full or abbreviated form - Westphalia, Lorraine (Lori, Lota), Bavaria, Alsace.