German - Naming (2024)

FAQs

What is the German naming format? ›

Naming Conventions

Most Germans have two given names and a family name arranged as follows: [first given name] [middle given name(s)] [FAMILY NAME]. For example, Maria Anna SCHAFER (female). One's 'first name', known as a 'personal name' or 'given name', is chosen at birth as the individual's personal identifier.

Personal names in German-speaking Europe consist of one or several given names (Vorname, plural Vornamen) and a surname (Nachname, Familienname). The Vorname is usually gender-specific. A name is usually cited in the "Western order" of "given name, surname".

Customarily at baptism a child was given two names. The first was a religious name and the second their call (Rufnahme) name. Unlike today, people were known by their second or middle name. Johann Ludwig Steck was called Ludwig or Louis.

Germanic given names are traditionally dithematic; that is, they are formed from two elements, by joining a prefix and a suffix. For example, King Æþelred's name was derived from æþele, meaning "noble", and ræd, meaning "counsel".

From the point at which church records begin (usually in the 1500s) through the end of the first wave, most German children were baptized with two given names. For boys, the first name was almost always Johann or Hans while, for girls, it was usually Anna or Maria.

Adolf/Adolph

Once a popular name throughout Europe, this name's association with the German leader responsible for the slaughter of millions has led to the nearly universal ban on using the baby name. Where it does crop up, however, is usually within white supremacist hate groups.

In Germany, there are about 850,000 different family names. The most common German surname, Müller (miller), is shared by around 700,000 people. This is followed in popularity by the name Schmidt (along with variants such as Schmitt or Schmitz, this comes from the blacksmith's trade), with Meier coming in third place.

Meaning:Yahweh is gracious. Johann is the German version of the Hebrew name Yochanan, meaning "Yahweh is gracious." There are several different forms of this ancient name; Johann derives from the Latin Iohannes, which in turn comes from the Greek name Iōánnēs. Its English equivalent is John.

Regional differences. Although Müller is the most common name in German-speaking countries, in some areas other surnames are more frequent than Müller. The common names Schmidt and Schmitz lead in the central German-speaking and eastern Low German-speaking areas.

What do German parents call their kids? ›

The most common terms of endearment that parents use for their children are “Schatz”, “Schatzi”, or “Schätzchen”, which means “treasure” or “l*ttle treasure”. Other terms include “Liebling” (“dear” or “darling”), “Bärchen” (“l*ttle bear”), and “Süßer” or “Süße” (“sweet”).

The term von ([fɔn]) is used in German surnames either as a nobiliary particle indicating a noble patrilineality, or as a simple preposition used by commoners that means 'of' or 'from'. Nobility directories like the Almanach de Gotha often abbreviate the noble term von to v.

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, Adolf was a popular name for baby boys in German-speaking countries and to a lesser extent also in French-speaking countries (spelled there as Adolphe). After Adolf Hitler came to power in Nazi Germany, the name Adolf became popular again, especially in 1933–1934 and 1937.

the German language endonym is Deutschland, from the Old High German diutisc. the French exonym is Allemagne, from the name of the Alamanni tribe. In Italian it is Germania, from the Latin Germania, although the German people are called tedeschi.

Another way to introduce yourself is to use the German equivalent of “my name is __”: Mein Name ist __”.

Germany is a big area and there were very different people in different places. The different languages usually adopted the term of the people they first came in contact with. The Finnish for example first had contact with the "Sachsen" (pronounced [zaksn̩]) , hence they call Germany "Saksa".

In Germany, there are about 850,000 different family names. The most common German surname, Müller (miller), is shared by around 700,000 people. This is followed in popularity by the name Schmidt (along with variants such as Schmitt or Schmitz, this comes from the blacksmith's trade), with Meier coming in third place.