The German people, like any other society, have their own name. According to the German Language Society, in recent years the most popular female names are Marie, Sophie, Lena, Emma, Lea / Leah, Anna, Emily (Emilie / Emily). ), Lily (Lilli / Lilly / Lili), Lina (Lina). How do German families choose a name? What is the main focus? First of all, when sorting German names for girls, many families pay attention to euphony. That is why names such as Louise, Laura, Lena, Lea, Emily are very popular among Germans.
In addition, pop culture and social events influence the popularity of a name. For example, after Lena Meyer-Landrut’s victory at Eurovision, this name began to be given to almost every third newborn. Fashion also plays an important role; for example, there was a time when there were too many kids named Angelina, Justin and Kevin in kindergartens. However, there are parents who name their children after fictional characters books or films. And at the same time, “old-fashioned” German names for girls are becoming popular; the same situation can be observed in Russia. If you want to give your daughter a beautiful German name, we advise you to use our list.
German girl names:
Agnese - chaste saint
Clarimondt is a strong defender
Agnet - chaste saint
Conradine - brave advisor
Adala - noble
Creszens - emerging
Adaluolfa - noble wolf
Kunibert - brave bright
Adalheid - noble species
Cunigand - enduring war
Adalheidis - noble species
Kate is pure
Adelind - noble snake
Latgard - protector of people
Adelinde - noble snake
Leonor - foreign other
Adelheite - noble look
Lieselot - god is my oath
Aleite - noble look
Liesl - god is my oath
Aloysia - famous warrior
Lore - laurel
Amalazuinta - strong worker
Lorelei - the murmur of the rock
Amalia - work
Lorelai - the murmur of the rock
Angelika - angelic
Luitgard - protector of people
Aneli - benefit grace
Louise - famous warrior
Annaleisa - favor grace
Mine - helmet
Annalisa - favor grace
Malazinta - strong worker
Anneline - favor grace
Mulvine - smooth eyebrow
Atala - noble
Margarete - pearls
Barbel - foreign
Mareik - beloved
Bindi - beautiful snake
Maril - beloved
Bridget is majestic
Minna - helmet
Victoria - the conqueror
Mirjam - beloved
Wilda - wild
Odila - rich
Vilhelmain - helmet
Odile - rich
Gabrayale - strong from God
Orthrun - the secret of the point
Ganda - war
Ottild - rich
Gertrudt - spear strength
Ottilie - rich
Gratia - pleaser
Raik - peaceful ruler
Gretta - pearl
Reinhild - Battle Advisor
Dagmar - damsel of the day
Rosemary - beloved
Jerdi - nested citadel
Ruperta - famous
Jisela - pledge
Sigild - struck by victory
Joseph - she will increase
Tatyana - father
Zelda - the gray maiden
Teresia - the reaper
Zuzanne - lily
Fredja - lady hostess
Yvon - yew tree
Freed - Elf Strength
Yvonet - yew tree
Frock - little lady
Imk - whole
Hann - God is good
Injeborg - help defense
Hedwig - fighting war
Irma is a whole universal
Helmine - helmet
Irmgard - universal
Heluidis - very healthy
Irmtrod - completely loved
Hermain - army man
Irmtrud - completely loved
Hildegard - battle guard
Kakili - blind
Hildegaird - struggling
Carlot is a man
Hiltrod - the strength of battle
Katarina - pure
Elsa - God is my oath
Caitrin - pure
Ermtraud - totally loved
Kinj - enduring war
Ermtrud - completely loved
Clara - clear bright
Erna - fighting death
Oleg and Valentina Svetovid are mystics, specialists in esotericism and occultism, authors of 14 books.
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German names
German female names and their meaning
German names, that is, names common in Germany combine Roman (Latin), Greek, Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon names.
German female names
Agna- chaste, holy
Agnetta- chaste, holy
Adelaide- noble birth
Adelinda- noble snake
Alina– abbreviation of longer names ending in "...Alina"
Albertina- bright nobility
Amalia- Job
Amelinda– work, snake, dragon
Amelia- diligent, hardworking
Angelica– angelic
Aneli– benefit, grace, God is my oath
Annamarie– benefit, grace, beloved
Annie- mercy, grace
Astrid- goddess of beauty
Beata- blessed
Belinda- beautiful snake
Benedicta– blessed
Bertha– magnificent
Brigitte (Bridget)
Bruna– brown
Brunhilda- woman warrior, warlike
Verena- sacred wisdom
Vibeck- war
Wilda– wild
Vite- life
Volda- power, rule
Gabi- strong from God
Henrietta– head of the house
Geraldine– strong
Gertrude- strong spear
Gret (Greta, Gretta)– pearls
Gretchen– small pearls
Griselda- gray girl
Dagmar– daytime
Jitta- majestic, exalted
Joseph- she will increase
Ditricha– Queen of Nations
Ersel- small bear
Zelma– helmet of God
Zelda- gray girl
Zenzi- emerging, growing, thriving
Yvette– yew bow
Yvonne (Yvonne)– yew tree
Ida- good
Idan- to love again
Isolde– ice rule
Ilma- helmet
Ilsa– God is my oath
Indgeborg– help, protection
Irma- dedicated to the god of war
Irmalinda– completely soft and tender
Carla – free man
Carlin- free man
Carlotta- free man
Katarina– clean
Catherine (Katherine)– clean
Clotilde- famous battle
Corina- maiden
Kristen– follower of Christ
Leona- a lion
Leonor– foreign, other
Fox– God is my oath
Lisbeth– God is my oath
Liel- worshiping God
Laura– laurel
Lotta– God is my oath
Louise- famous warrior
Malvina- friend of justice
Margaret– pearls
Marie– bitter
Matilda– strong in battle
Meta– pearls
Minna- helmet
Maud- powerful in battle
Odelia (Odile)- rich
Ottila- rich
Ottilia- rich
Raymonda- wise protector
Raffaela- God has healed
Rebecca- entrapping
Rosemary- reminder
Rupert- famous
Svanhilda- stricken swan
Selma- protector of God
Senta- growing, prosperous
Summer- summer
Sophie– wisdom
Suze– lily
Theresa– beloved and strong. (in Greek – huntress)
Teresia– reaper
Till– abbreviation of longer names beginning with "Till"
Ulrika- prosperity and power
Ursula– she-bear
Franziska– free
Frida- world
Frederica- peaceful ruler
Frock- little lady
Hannah- God is good
Helena– torch, moon, secretly escaped
Helma- helmet
Henrika- house ruler
Helga– saint
Hilda (Hilda)– practical
Eleanor– foreign, other
Alfie– Elf strength
Elvira– protection of everyone
Elsa- worshiping God
Emily– competitive
Emma– affectionate
Erma- whole, universal
Ermelinda– completely soft and tender
Erna- fighting death
Ernesta- fighting death
Jadwiga- rich warrior
Brief energy information characteristics of some names
Olga-Genghelia
Olga-Genghelia– this name enhances female seductiveness, sexuality, increases intuition and some worldly wisdom. This is a man of mental work.
A woman with this name has a lot of imagination, she is good at finding mutual language with men. Most often, men mistake her for their boyfriend, whom they can trust with their secrets. She - good friend for men.
The personal life of a woman with this name should be good. But she is unlikely to be able to earn and keep big money. And if it does work, it will be difficult to keep them. This is a man of relationships, not business.
This name suggests that a woman is likely to smoke and drink strong alcoholic beverages. She is kind and does not wish harm to anyone.
The name is more material than spiritual.
Name color - green with brown tint around the edges.
Not the best best name for women.
Olga-Lunza
Olga-Lunza– this name strongly activates the 3rd energy center (willpower), as well as the 7th center (increases intuition). The 2nd center (sexual energy) is slightly activated.
A woman with this name is a person of creative professions with her own special view of the world. There will be many men in her life and in bed, but they will all be passing.
The name develops poetic and painting abilities.
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German names. German female names and their meanings
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The cultural traditions of each country are unique. The historical way of adding names in different parts of the world is approximately the same: noble nobles and tribal leaders in distant Africa chose a name for a newborn by combining it from two words.
For men, words were chosen that were associated with the traits that parents would like to endow their child with: strength, courage, power, struggle, warrior.
For girls, names were made up of words characterizing the feminine principle: ancestor, mother, kind, beautiful, fertile. Different dialects gave rise to different sounds.
Today they are not made up of words; people use existing ones. German traditions prescribe giving a child several names at birth.
This deprives parents of a situation where they cannot make a choice, argue, swear, and pull out notes. The baby has a choice: when he becomes an adult, he decides which one to keep.
Top 20 most beautiful female German names and their meaning:
| № | Name | Meaning |
| 1 | Agnet | Chaste |
| 2 | Atala | Noble |
| 3 | Belinda | Beautiful snake |
| 4 | Vreni | Holy wisdom |
| 5 | Gerlind | Tender, weak |
| 6 | Yvon | Tree |
| 7 | Irma | One-piece, universal |
| 8 | Marlis | Beloved |
| 9 | Rebecca | Will lure you into a trap |
| 10 | Sommer | Summer |
| 11 | Feliki | Successful |
| 12 | Hilda | Fighting |
| 13 | Erna | Fighting Death |
| 14 | Kerstin | Follower of Christ |
| 15 | Kinj | Warrior |
| 16 | Zenzi | Prosperous |
| 17 | Gretel | Pearl |
| 18 | Anneli | Graceful |
| 19 | Hannah | God's mercy |
| 20 | Leoni | Lioness |
Today it is popular to choose foreign names for your children. For parents, this is a way to highlight their baby.
Moms and dads who grew up in Soviet times remember that it was not accepted to be different.
Everyone dressed roughly the same and had similar hairstyles. In each class there were four Natashas, three Sashas, two Seryozhas, and at least two Nadezhdas.
Times have changed, people have become more free. Today on the street you won’t see the same dressed people. It would be a real tragedy for a lady if a woman wearing similar clothes was present at the party.
Fed up with monotony, people try to become different, to reveal their individuality to the world. This is also expressed in the choice of names for children.
Speaking about famous personalities: actresses, politicians, it is worth mentioning a few of them. Many will be familiar to you.
Germany has great cultural heritage, there's a lot there beautiful women who left their mark on history:
Interesting fact! In Germany there is a certified list of names that are allowed for use. If parents want to name the baby differently, they must go through an approval procedure.
You cannot call children in a cacophonous or obscene manner. This is stated in the law. It is prohibited to use numbers, letters, or combinations of words.
A similar law exists in our country.
Vintage German names for girls
The trend of naming children after ancestors who lived a century ago is gaining momentum. In Russia, young Yesenias, Agafyas, Theclas and Seraphims are becoming increasingly common.
In Germany they also honor cultural traditions, and often use ancient, long-forgotten names to give them a second life in the modern world. Everything new is well forgotten old.
List of ancient female German names:
- Emma.
- Ursula.
- Renata.
- Angelica.
- Stephanie.
- Petra.
- Elizabeth.
- Joanna.
- Sophie.
- Ilsa.
- Brunhild.
- Brigid.
- Rosemary.
- Francis.
Some of them are rooted in the country's past, others are borrowed, but became popular in Germany in the last century. Borrowing exists in every country.
Considering that German and English languages have similar features, it is difficult to establish their identity for certain.
Important! Several factors influence popularity:
- Famous people, politicians, leaders, popular favorites.
- The beauty of sound.
- Symbolism.
Interesting fact! In Russia, the name Vladimir has regained its former popularity, because the people love and are proud of the leader of the state.
The question of whether life has become good in Rus' under his rule is controversial; there are many opinions, they vary.
It is undeniable that this man was firmly established in world history, showed himself to be the leader of an entire nation.
Children are being named after him more often - statistics show this. But there are fewer jokes about Vovochka.
There are often people who name their children after their favorite actors, heroes of films and TV series:
- Sherlock - in honor of the famous Sherlock Holmes.
- Danila - gained popularity in Russia after the release of the films: “Brother” and “Brother-2”.
- Merlin - in the West, many girls were named after the famous Marilyn Monroe.
- Milana, Millie - the popularity of the series "Wild Angel" made me want to name my daughter after main character. There are many derivatives from it: Milana, Milania, Mila.
- Alice - rock fans invariably name their daughters after popular group our time.
Important! When deciding what to name your child, you should not base it only on sound.
There are heavy names that endow the owners with corresponding qualities:
- Having named their daughter Ada, the parents do not know peace, since the girl behaves like a true little devil until she comes of age.
- Olga is a very strong sound, endowing the owner with difficult character traits.
- Veles is beautiful and unusual. If you don't know that that was the name of God. Calling a child that way is like calling him Jesus.
This is a burden placed on the child from childhood. From a psychological point of view, this is not the best solution.
When making your choice, research the history, origin and meaning. It doesn't matter what nationality it belongs to, what matters is semantic load. It is advisable to take into account the beauty of the sound.
Remember the golden rule: whatever you name the boat, that’s how it will float.
Useful video
There are male German names known throughout the world, the bearers of which have determined the glory of Germany for centuries. Johann Sebastian, Ludwig, Wolfgang, Berthold - humanity without these people would not be what it is today.
Glory to all mankind
Bach, Beethoven, Goethe, Brecht - the list goes on for quite a long time. Robert, Peter, Gunther, Erich - these names are known, loved, they are common and popular. The most important thing, at least in this article, is that these are truly German names for men. In a global, cosmic sense, it is obviously not very important what name a genius bears. But just as the names Ivan Turgenev and Pyotr Tchaikovsky sound to the Russian ear, so to the German ear do Heinrich Heine and Robert Schumann.
Smiles of time
It is absolutely impossible to ignore the name Karl. And not only because Marx wore it (although I’m certainly familiar with him most of humanity). Charlemagne, king of the Franks, is no less famous. Faberge and Lagerfeld, a world-famous jeweler and king of fashion, are also well-known. What to say about Karl Urban. He played the role of one of the heroes of The Lord of the Rings! All the other Karls pale in comparison - who knows the height of Marx or Faberge? Urban has grown to 185 centimeters. Any football fan knows the football Carls - Rummenigge and Cort. And Papa Carlo is a symbol of an unlucky worker! In a word, the name is famous, ancient, and has not lost its popularity today.
Ancient names
The same ancient German names include the names of the heroes of the national epic “The Song of the Nibelungs” - blue-eyed and blond Siegfried, a symbol of a purebred Aryan, Sigmund, Alberich and others. Despite their advanced age, these names are in demand. Siegfried Schneider is a two-time Olympic champion, Siegfried Lenz is a popular film actor. Sigmund, thanks to Freud, is a legendary name. Augustine also belongs to the ancients, a name glorified over the centuries by the Austrian folk song “Ah, my dear Augustine.” Such male German names as Hermann, Martin, Friedrich, Wilhelm, Gustav and Alfred are of considerable age, but are still popular today.
Availability and influence of information
Information flows are very large, the number of heroes that young people want to imitate is endless. The Internet did Earth one house, there are a lot of favorite names in it, and I want to name the child in honor of the idol. Therefore, sometimes they become the most popular. At all times, fashion has played an important role, and it has not bypassed German Modern ones clearly confirm the influence of the United States on the entire life of Western Europe. Ben (topping the popularity list) - when did this name become German? According to 2012 data, less than a third were included in the list of the most popular names for newborns. It's nothing you can do - modern Child live in society, and it dictates its own conditions. There are many examples in literature when children lived with hateful names, blaming their parents for their entire lives. An example is Publius Valerius, one of the heroes of the Forsyte Saga. His father named him this way in honor of the horse that came first in the race. But this is certainly an extreme case.
Internationality of names
There are many French names on the list - Louis, Luca, Leon. Quite a few Scandinavian ones - Jan, Jacob, Johas, Nicholas, and, of course, American ones - Tom, Tim. But the name Noah is somehow double. It is believed that this is a Hebrew female name, however, if it is translated as Noah, then the surprise still remains. Noa is a popular Israeli singer. Probably, after all, German boys are named after American actor, who has Indian roots, the hero of the film “The Last Airbender” - Noah Ringer. Let's hope that the French and American names in combination with do not sound as wild as Harry Kravchenko. So, the most popular German names today are Ben, Leon, Lucas, Luca (the song brought fame and love to this name). This only says that, despite the popularity of Berlinaria, there are a lot of American products on the screens of cinemas in Germany, as well as throughout the world.
Names that have retained significance for contemporaries
Maybe Hansel sounds archaic, and the boy is better off living with the name Johas - the Germans will judge. It is pleasant to note Philip (a horse lover) and Alexander (a courageous defender), who have not lost their popularity since ancient times. In addition to those listed above, the 2012 list includes such popular German male names as Felix, David, Henry. Times change, and names change along with them.
Names that have become household names
Every people has names that represent it as a nation. Russian Ivan, American Uncle Sam, German Fritz. They have a negative stamp on them. During the war, all occupiers were called “Kruts.” If we consider Fritz as a shortening of the full name Friedrich, then the picture changes dramatically. It testifies to the greatness of Germany - Nietzsche, Engels, Schiller, Barbarossa. These were great people. The royal names William and Henry are generally unrivaled in terms of monumentality and grandeur. In Europe there were dozens of reigning persons who wore them with honor. Heinrich Heine, the poet, added to his worldwide fame. Considering the wars unleashed by Germany in the 20th century, every German name, the most beautiful and noble, can belong to a war criminal. the head of the Gestapo, did not add human sympathy to him.
Typically German names
Erich, Gustav, Alfred, Heinrich, Wilhelm, Adolf, Friedrich - these are the most common German names. And the most characteristic. To them we can safely add Hermann and Otto, the most famous of whom was Bismarck, the “Iron Chancellor” who united the scattered German principalities into one state. But people of the older generation knew very well the handsome West German actor Otto Wilhelm Fischer and Otto Yulievich Schmidt.
Some male German names have received deserved obstruction. Adolf was very unlucky. Derived from the ancient German name Adalwolf (translated as “noble wolf”), it characterized a very decent person. He was characterized by elegance, restraint, sociability, willpower and intelligence. And for the time being it belonged to quite nice people, talented people- Erichson (architect, master of Russian modernism), Andersen (the greatest chess player), Dassler (founder of the Adidas company). The Adolfs were the King of Nassau and Dobryansky-Sachurov, a major public figure, philosopher and writer. Thanks to Hitler, this name, like the name of King Herod, will personify and inspire horror and disgust for centuries.
Beautiful names
In Germany, like in any other country, there are beautiful German male names. It’s rare that someone is called Maximilian these days, and it didn’t happen very often in the past. But very beautiful name. And the West German actor was very handsome and talented. The name translates as “descendant of the greatest”; its bearers are characterized by many positive features. Maximilian I, the German king, and Maximilian Voloshin, the Russian encyclopedist, were erudites. Aren’t the names Alfred (the famous Musset bore him), Arnold (there may have been famous Arnolds, but Schwarzenegger eclipsed everyone), Martin (“Martin Eden”). In some sources, Altaf, which translates as “the cutest, most charming,” and simply “handsome,” refers to German names. Such male German names listed in reference books as Lorenz, Raphael, Walter are most likely just names often given to boys in Germany. They are definitely of foreign origin.
Rare names
Herman deserves special words, which translated from Latin means close, half-brother, true, even brother. The name is so international and popular that Germans consider it German, and Russians consider it Russian. Pastor Kant, as well as the famous Jesuit Busembaum, speak in favor of the first version. In favor of the second are the hero of “The Queen of Spades”, cosmonaut Titov, saints of Valaam, Constantinople, and the hermit of Solovetsky. They were all Germans.
In Germany, like in any other country, there are rare German male names. There are a lot of them, from the noble Abelard to the bright Angelbert. These include Berndt, Willafrid, Detlef, Etzel and many others.
Names - the image of Germany
In general, when you pay attention to German male names, you are shocked by the greatness of the picture. No matter how many of them are listed, it is impossible to cover all the Germans who brought glory to their country and made their names immortal. Is it possible to ignore Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart if paintings called “Amadeus” appear on the screens of the world one after another? The names of philosophers, composers, writers - Liszt, Hegel, Kant and Schopenhauer - will always be the most famous for Germans. And only they themselves can judge the significance and popularity of their names. I would like to believe that the time will never come when the names of geniuses will be known to humanity only as the names of turtles and dogs (Raphael and Beethoven), and no one will remember the bearers of these names.
What are the popular German male and female first and last names? Is it possible to name a child McDonald or Bremen in Germany? What did they mean in ancient times? Germanic names and are they still there today? It has long been believed that a person’s name serves as a talisman that protects and influences the fate of its bearer. Many people tend to believe this to this day. So what are children called in Germany? Read all about German names and surnames in our article.
Previously people the lower class got by with only one name, for example, Heinrich, Anna, Dietrich. This fact is recorded in documents of the past, for example, in church books, contracts, court papers and literary works that time.
During the Late Middle Ages, a tendency arose when a nickname (Beiname) or surname (Familienname) began to be added to the common name (Rufname). Rufname is the name by which it was preferable to address a person, for example, Heinrich. Beiname is a nickname that a person received depending on his personal qualities, appearance, etc.
Nicknames could have been needed to indicate that out of dozens of people with the name Heinrich, we are talking about the one with curly hair: this is how Heinrich Krause could appear. This step was also important for the city administration and other bureaucrats, again to distinguish citizens from each other.
An important difference between a nickname and a surname was that it was not passed on to subsequent generations. The name could also be added to, transformed from the type of activity of its bearer, the area where he lives, or, again, personal qualities. Surnames are passed down from one generation to another by inheritance. Today it can be argued that surnames, as such, were formed from nicknames.
Names
Conventionally, we can divide German names into two groups - ancient Germanic and foreign-language (Latin and Greek), which came after the spread of Christianity. Names of ancient Germanic origin include, for example, Karl, Ulrich, Wolfgang, Gertrud. Ancient Germanic names consisted, as a rule, of two stems, each of which had its own meaning. Such names were supposed to influence the fate of a person, patronize him and protect him. Ancient documents (750-1080) indicate about 7,000 two-root Germanic names, most of which were masculine.
In the 11th century, such a variety of names came to naught due to the influence of the coming Christianity and the arrival of new, southern European names. The new religion gradually contributed to the fact that German names lost popularity and fell into oblivion.
It is interesting that in ancient Germanic names many roots mean war, battle or weapons.
Examples of bases denoting:
Battle: badu, gund, hadu, hari, hild, wig
Weapons: ekka, ger (spear), isan, ort (point of weapon)
Basics indicating ammunition and protection:
Brun: chest shield
Burg: refuge
Gard: fence
Linta: linden shield
Rand: high shield
Roots meaning characteristics of battle:
Bald: (kühn) brave
Harti: (hart) strong
Kuni: (kühn) brave
Muot: brave
Trud: (Kraft) strength
And signifying the consequences of the battle:
Sigu: (Sieg) victory
Hruod: (Friede) peace
Fridu: (Waffenruhe) truce
Diet: (Natur) nature
Animal world:
Arn: (Adler) eagle
Bero: (Bär) bear
Ebur: (Eber) boar
Hraban: (Rabe) raven
Wolf, wulf: (Wolf) wolf
The original meaning of many names today is difficult to decipher, since some letters of the name were lost over time when connecting the roots. However, by studying ancient names one can undoubtedly discover many interesting cultural and historical details. Unfortunately, today the interpretation of ancient Germanic names is rather generalized. Also, in addition to the mentioned two-root names, there were also some single-root names. Famous among them are, for example, Karl, Bruno and Ernst.
Meanings of some German names:
Heinrich - housekeeper
Wolfgang - the way of the wolf
Ludwig - famous warrior
Wilhelm - reliable helmet
Friedrich - peaceful ruler
Rudolf - nice wolf
With the spread of Christianity, names of Greek and Roman origin were increasingly used rather than those of Germanic origin. In comparison with ancient Germanic names, they lacked the principle of division into two bases. Latin names with Roman origins are quite ordinary in their meaning and do not carry the greatness inherent in ancient Germanic names: Paulus is small, Claudius is lame. Children's names were often chosen depending on how the child was born: Tertiat - the third.
Traditional and beautiful-sounding names are very unsightly in their meaning, for example, Claudia - lame. Names that came under Greek influence were more cheerful. Amanda - worthy of love, Felix is happy.
For the last five years, the leading places in the lists of the most popular female and male names are occupied by Mia and Emma among girls, and Ben, Jonas and Luis among boys.
Other trendy female names recent years: Sofia, Anna, Emilia, Marie, Lena, Lea, Amelie, Emily, Lilly, Clara, Lara, Nele, Pia, Paula, Alina, Sarah, Luisa. Popular male names of the last five years: Leon, Lucas, Maximillian, Moritz, Tom, Tim, Eric, Jannik, Alexander, Aaron, Paul, Finn, Max, Felix.
And the most common names in Germany among the adult population (born between 1980 and 2000) sound completely different. For example, here are the most common male names: Peter, Michael, Wolfgang, Jurgen, Andreas, Stephan, Christian, Uwe, Werner, Hans, Mathias, Helmut, Jorg, Jens.
Female names: Ursula, Sabine, Monica, Susanne, Petra, Birgit, Andrea, Anna, Brigitte, Claudia, Angelika, Heike, Gabriele, Cathrin, Anja, Barbara. These names are not very common among young people and are more likely to be found among representatives of the older generation.
There are not many ways to form a diminutive name in German. The main ones are: -le, -lein, -chen. For example, in the names Peterle, Udolein, Susannchen. A person can be addressed by a diminutive name within the family circle.
Among friends, at school or university, they often use just the short form of the name, it is more neutral: Klaus from Nikolaus, Gabi from Gabriel, Sussi from Susanne, Hans from Johannes. As a rule, short names are formed using the morpheme -i at the end of a word.
Today, it is not uncommon for parents to initially give their child a short form of a name: Toni (instead of the full Antonie) or Kurt (instead of Konrad). In this case, the names obtained in this way are used on a par with the original full forms. Usage short forms as independent names was officially permitted from the 19th century. It is noteworthy that short and diminutive names are mostly neuter.
And my last name is too famous for me to mention it!
Just like in many other European countries, in Germany surnames first appeared among the nobility and feudal lords as a sign of belonging to a distinguished family at the beginning of the Middle Ages. Gradually, ordinary, non-noble people also received surnames. As in the Russian language, many surnames go back to designations of professions, types of activity, place of residence and qualities of a person (Kuznetsov, Popov, Volkov, Khoroshkin) or from personal names (Ivanov, Antonov). As for the differences, German surnames, as a rule, do not have feminine or masculine indicators, unlike Russian ones, where endings and suffixes almost always indicate the gender of the bearer: Kuznetsov - Kuznetsova, Ilyin - Ilyina, Savelyev - Savelyeva. It is worth noting that this was not always the case, and until the beginning of the 19th century in Germany there were special, feminine endings for surnames.
German surnames derived from personal names:
Walter, Hermann, Werner, Hartmann.
Surnames derived from nicknames:
Klein - small
Braun -brown
Neumann - new man
Krause - curly
Lange - long, lanky
Jung - young
Schwarz - black-haired
Stolz - proud
Bart - bearded man
Surnames formed from the names of professions and types of activity:
Müller - miller
Schmidt - blacksmith
Fischer - fisherman
Schneider - tailor, cutter
Wagner - carriage maker
Meyer - manager (of the estate)
Weber - weaver
Hoffman - courtier
Koch - cook
Becker - from German. Bäcker - baker
Schäfer - shepherd
Schulz - headman
Richter - judge
Bauer - peasant, country man
Schröder - tailor
Zimmermann - carpenter
Krüger - potter, innkeeper
Lehmann - landowner
König - king
Köhler - coal miner
Schuhmacher - shoemaker
10 most common surnames and their famous bearers:
Müller Otto Müller (1898 - 1979) - German artist and schedule.
Matthias Müller (1953) - head of the VW automaker.
Schmidt Helmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt (1918 - 2015), German politician (SPD), Chancellor of Germany from 1974 to 1982.
Schneider Romy Schneider (1938 - 1982), Austrian-German actress, recognized for her role in the Sisi film trilogy.
Fischer Helene Fischer (1984) German singer, singer of hits and pop music.
Meyer Friedrich Wilhelm Franz Meyer (1856 - 1935) - German mathematician.
Weber Maximilian Carl Emil Weber (1864 - 1920) German lawyer, economist and co-founder of sociology.
Schulz Axel Schulz (1968) - German boxer.
Wagner Richard Wagner (1813 - 1883)- German composer, who wrote the music and libretto for the opera “The Ring of the Nibelung”.
Becker Boris Franz Becker (1967) is a German professional tennis player and Olympic champion.
Hoffman Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann (1776 - 1822) - German lawyer, writer, composer, bandmaster, musical critic, artist. Author of the books “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King”, “Worldly Views of the Cat Murr”.
May I contact you?
When politely addressing a man with "You" they say Herr+(Nachname): Herr Müller When politely addressing a woman with "You" Frau+(Nachname): Frau Müller
When filling out official forms, you are always asked to indicate Vorname and Nachname. You should write your first name in the Vorname field, and your last name in the Nachname field.
In everyday life, the word der Name denotes the surname: “Mein Name ist Müller.”
Interestingly, German law prohibits giving children geographical names (Bremen, London), titles (Prinzessin), trademarks (Coca-Cola), surnames or fictitious names (as is customary, for example, in the USA) as names. But it is allowed give the child up to five names - and only two of them can be written with a hyphen (Anne-Marie).
Also unacceptable are names that are considered immoral and degrading to the child, are considered a religious taboo, or are not names. If the civil registry office refuses to enter the chosen name, the issue will be resolved in court.
Words and expressions:
Das Kind beim Namen nennen - calling a spade a spade
Die Dinge beim Namen nennen - calling a spade a spade
Auf einen Namen hören - respond to a nickname (about animals)
Unter falschem Namen - under someone else's name
Mein Name ist Hase - my hut is on the edge
Natalia Khametshina, Deutsch Online
