87 Most Common German Names For Baby Boys And Girls

Parents start looking after the baby even before it is born, the baby’s needs, and the complete pregnancy routine.

After the baby is born, they take care of everything about the baby. Naming a child is also one of the most challenging and extraordinary aspects of being a parent.

Parents begin looking for a baby’s name even before the baby is born. German names are lovely and have exciting meanings. These names can be used to name children by Germans and anyone who wants a unique name. Some popular name choices are Günter, Elke, Kurt, Anja, Hannah, Mia, Ilse, Maria, Jürgen, Otto, and Isle.

Read on for a list of the most common German names, USA, for boys and girls.

Most Common German Last Names

German last names originate from different places and professions in Germany. However, they are strong and have a history behind them. However, it’s important to note that some of the most common German last names start with a J.

Here is a list of common German last names.

Bauer (German origin), meaning ‘neighbor’ or ‘fellow citizens’, is one of the most common German female names.

Beck (German origin), meaning ‘steam’ or ‘brook’. It is a top name choice in English and Slavic regions.

Becker (German origin), meaning ‘baker’. It is an occupational surname for a baker who bakes bread, brick, or tiles.

Fischer (German origin), meaning ‘fisher’. It is an occupational surname and is the fourth most common surname in Germany.

Frank (German origin), meaning ‘free’ or ‘open-hearted’. It is one of the common family names that enjoys great popularity.

Hartmann (German origin), meaning ‘a hard person’. It also means brave man.

Hoffmann (German origin), meaning ‘landed farmer’. The Hoffmann surname originated as a nickname for a large manor farm steward.

Klein (German origin) means ‘small’. This is a very common surname in many languages.

Koch (German origin), meaning ‘cook’. It is a top choice name derived from the Latin word coquis, which means the art of cooking.

Köhler (German origin), meaning ‘charcoal burner’. It is a top-name choice for a charcoal burner.

Krüger (German origin), meaning ‘potter’. In low German, it means tavern keeper.

Lange (German origin), meaning ‘long’. It was derived from old German and used to nickname tall people.

Lehmann (German origin), meaning ‘to lend’. It is derived from a family of professional money lending.

Meyer (German origin), meaning ‘mayor’. It is an occupational hereditary surname derived from the old English word Maire.

Neumann (German origin), meaning ‘new man’. It is one of the 20 common German .

Richter (German origin), meaning ‘judge’. It is an occupational surname for judge or arbiter.

Schäfer (German origin), meaning ‘shepherd’. It’s a top occupational name for a shepherd derived from the German word schaf, ‘sheep’.

Schmidt (German origin), meaning ‘Smith’. It is one of the unusual last names traditionally used across Europe.

Schneider (German origin), meaning ‘tailor’. This is an occupational surname for a tailor or literally a cutter.

Thomas (German origin), meaning ‘twin’, is among the top common family names for boys.

Walter (German origin), meaning ‘commander of the army’. It is derived from the German words wald, meaning rule, and hair, meaning army.

Weber (German origin), meaning ‘weaver’. It was anglicized to the English surname Webber or Weaver.

Werner (German origin), meaning ‘the defender’. It can be used as a name also.

Most Common German Male Names

Germany has a long tradition and a beautiful cultural heritage. The German language has derived many names for boys and girls from history and culture. German names are unique and give meaning to the name.

The top German boy names are listed below.

Armin (Iran, German ancestry), which means ‘guardian’ or ‘defender’, is one of the popular boys’ names.

Arnold (English and German origin), meaning ‘eagle power’. It is a widely used German name when it comes to naming boys.

Botho (German origin), meaning ‘commander’ or ”. It is a top choice for naming boys in a German family.

Carl (German origin), meaning ‘free man’. It has an alternate pronunciation that is Karl. Karl is a boy’s name related to many countries.

Christoph (Greek origin) means ‘the one who cherishes Christ in his heart.’ It is a spelling variation of Christopher.

Edel (German origin), meaning ‘noble’. This name has many different similar names.

Eugen (Greek origin), meaning ‘well-born’. The feminine variant is Eugenia or Eugenie.

Friedrich (German origin), meaning ‘peaceful ruler’. Friedrich is composed of two words Fred-peace and ric-power. Friedrich is indeed among the top family names for a male.

Günter (German origin), meaning ‘battle warrior’. Günter is one of the popular names for boys. Günter is a top choice for making a boy.

Johann (German origin), meaning ‘God is gracious’. It comes from the Hebrew word Yohanan.

Jürgen (Greek origin), meaning ‘earth-worker’. Its alternate meaning is the son of George. Jürgen is a popular name choice for boys.

Karl (German origin), meaning ‘strong man’. This top-choice name for boys can also be spelled, Carl.

Kaspar (German origin), meaning ‘treasurer’. It has alternate pronunciation, Casper.

Klaus (German origin), meaning ‘people’s triumph, the leader in victory’. It can be both a top-choice name and surname in German.

Leopold (German origin), meaning ‘brave people’. The modern name Leopold is derived from the Germanic name Luitbald. It is a boy’s name related to many countries.

Matthias (Greek, Dutch, and Germanic origin) means ‘God’s gift’. Matthias was the name given to the apostle who was chosen to replace Judas after Christ’s death.

Rudolf (German origin), meaning ‘famous wolf.’ It is an ancient Germanic name derived from Hrōþi, Hruod, Hróðr, or Hrōð, meaning fame, glory, honor, renown, and old, meaning wolf.

Stefan (German origin), meaning ‘crown.’ Stefan was a character’s name in Vampire diaries’.

Timo (German-Finnish origin), meaning ‘honor.’ It is one of the fun boys’ names preferred by German-speaking parents.

Ulrich (German origin) means ‘rich, prosperous, and powerful’. It is one of the popular names for a boy.

Walter (German origin), meaning ‘strong fighter’. The name is derived from the Germanic elements wald, which means ‘rule,’ and hari, which means ‘army’.

Wilhelm (German origin), meaning ‘resolute protector’, derived from Willa’s Germanic personal name.

Most Common German First Names

Many common German names are derived from old German or Latin and other languages. Günter, Elke, Kurt, Anja, Hannah, Mia, Ilse, Maria, Jürgen, Otto, and Isle are popular German names. The most common German surnames are listed below.

Adam (Low German origin), meaning ‘the earth’. It is a popular baby name in Germany.

Alfred (Old High German origin), meaning ‘elf’. It was formed from the Germanic words ælf, meaning elf, and ræd, meaning counsel.

Alphonse (German origin), meaning ‘noble estate’. Alphonse was a famous French author.

Anne (German origin), meaning ‘grace’. Anne can be termed one of the popular names for girls in Germany.

Boris (Bulgarian origin), meaning ‘wolf’. It is one of the popular boy names in Germany.

Bruno (Old High German name), meaning ‘brown’. Bruno Mars is a famous singer with this name.

David (German origin), meaning ‘beloved’. It is one of the fun baby names in Germany.

Dennis (English origin), meaning‘belonging to Dionysius’. Dionysius is a Greek God.

Diana (German origin), meaning ‘Goddess of wellness’. Diana can is one of the popular girls’ names in Germany.

Emanuel (Hebrew), meaning ‘God is always with us’. This German name is derived from the Bible.

Emil (Latin Origin), meaning ‘rival’. This German baby name comes from the Latin word ‘Aemilius.’

Fanny  (German origin), meaning ‘Free one’. It is derived from the French name Frances.

Hans (German origin), meaning ‘gracious’. This German name is found in different languages.

Hugo (German origin), meaning ‘mind’. Hugo Boss is a famous fashion designer with this name.

Inga (German origin), meaning ‘from the land of Ing’. It is a popular German name.

Jakob (Hebrew origin), meaning ‘may God protect us’. It is one of the common German baby names in Germany.

Ludwig (Old High German origin), meaning ‘war’. A common male name in Germany.

(Latin origin), meaning ‘Mars God’. Marcus is one of the popular German baby names.

Michael (German origin), meaning ‘like God’. Micheal is a very common male name.

Nina (German origin), meaning ‘flower’. It is one of the common german baby names.

Petra (German Origin), meaning ‘stone’. It is one of the popular German names for girls.

Most Common German Girl’s Names

Many German names derived from other languages are commonly used as baby names in Germany. Various common names are used in different languages for the girl baby. These are the most common names of German women you’ll come across.

Here is a list of common girl baby names. We’ve even listed out the name meanings.

Alia (German origin) means ‘all’ or ‘another’. It is one of the popular girl names in Germany.

Charlotte (French origin), meaning ‘free’ and ‘proficient’. It is the female version of the name Karl.

Clara (Latin origin) means ‘famous,’ ‘bright,’ and ‘clear’. It is the feminine form of the Late Latin name Clarus and is popular for naming German girls.

Eléa (Swiss origin) means ‘foreign’ and ‘strange’. This is one of the rare first names for baby girls.

Eliana (Greek and Hebrew origin) means ‘bright’, ‘torch’, ‘beautiful’, ‘shining’, and ‘light’. It is amongst the top 10 traditional first names.

Ella (Multiple origins), meaning ‘She’ or ‘Her’, is a variant of the German baby name ‘Alia’.

Emilian (German origin), meaning ‘rival’, comes from the Latin name Aemilius. One of the traditional first names for a girl child.

Emily (German origin), meaning ‘rival’. It comes from the Latin name Aemilius. A popular traditional first name for a girl child.

Emma (German origin), meaning ‘whole’ or ‘universal’. An excellent choice for naming a baby of the female gender.

Freya (Nordic origin), meaning ‘lady’ or ‘mistress’, is derived from the Goddess of love, beauty, war, and death.

Frida (German origin) means the ‘princess of peace’. The name has different variants.

Hannah (Hebrew origin), meaning ‘favor’ and ‘grace’. It can be spelled as Hannah-Hanna. Hannah is one of the popular names for a German female. Hannah is among the top name choices.

Leni (Latin origin) meaning ‘light’, ‘sublime’, ‘torch’, ‘bright’ and ‘beautiful’. It is also a gender-neutral first name.

Lia (Multiple origins), meaning ‘lioness,’ ‘mistress’, ‘rival’, and ‘my God in abundance’. It is one of the cute names in Germany when it comes to naming meanings.

Lilly (British origin), meaning ‘my God is my oath’ and ‘my God is abundance’. It is also spelled as Lily, Lillie, Lili, and Lilli.

Malia (Swahili origin), meaning ‘beloved’. Malia is the Hawaiian version of Mary/Maria/Miriam.

Mathilda (German origin), meaning ‘the strength that one gains in the battle.’ It is amongst the most common female German names.

Maya (Turkish origin), meaning the ‘star of the sea’, ‘exalted one’, ‘beloved’, ‘rebellious’. It is one of the most common German girls’ names.

Mia (Italian origin), meaning ‘mine’ and ‘darling’. Mia also has alternative meanings like the moon. Along with Ilse and Otto, it is amongst the top name choices.

Sophia (Greek origin) is a name that means ‘wisdom’. It can also be spelled Sofia and is one of the most common German girl names.

Sophie (Greek origin), meaning ‘wisdom’, is an alternative name for Sophia, meaning ‘wisdom’. It is one of the most common names for German women.