German boy names: 160+ male German names with meanings and origins
168 names · Updated · By The Nomezo Editors · Save to Pinterest
German boy names range from today's favorites like Noah, Theo and Emil to strong Germanic classics such as Friedrich, Ludwig and Konrad. Many old male German names join two meaningful words, like Bernhard (brave bear) or Wolfgang (wolf path).
Below are 160+ real German names for boys and men with their meanings, origins and simple pronunciations. Sections cover the most popular German boy names right now, traditional and strong names, grandpa classics, common names for men, saints' names, North German and Alpine names, everyday nicknames and rare finds.
Can't decide? Shuffle 6 random picks
Ewald
Law and power; Germanic ewa and wald. Say AY-vahlt
Benedikt
Blessed one; Latin. The name taken by a German pope
Ueli
Heritage and power; Germanic, a Swiss pet form of Ulrich. Say OO-eh-lee
Bernhard
Brave bear; Germanic bern and hard. Say BAIRN-hart
Andreas
Manly, brave; Greek. Say ahn-DRAY-ahs
Joachim
God will raise up; Hebrew. Say YO-ah-khim
German name tools
Build a noble name the way German law has written it since 1919, see every surname a child can get from two parents under the 2025 rules, and learn how to say a German name.
A noble name, done right
- The legal name today
- Hans Freiherr von Hohenberg
- Before 1919: Freiherr Hans von Hohenberg
- In an index: Under H, for Hohenberg, ignoring Freiherr and von
- In Austria, which abolished titles and von in 1919: Hans Hohenberg
- The title is the German equivalent of baron.
Since 1919 a title is simply part of the surname, so it moved inside the name. Von alone does not prove nobility: some 200 to 300 ordinary German surnames contain it.
A child's surname from both parents
- BeckerThe first parent's surname
- SchmidtThe second parent's surname
- Becker-SchmidtDouble name, hyphenated (the default)
- Schmidt-BeckerDouble name, the other order
- Becker SchmidtDouble name without a hyphen, if the parents choose it
Children born since 1 May 2025 may have a double name of two parts at most, hyphenated unless the parents decide otherwise; older children can switch, with their consent from age five.
How to say it, and how to spell it without umlauts
- sch sounds like English sh.
- j sounds like English y.
- ü somewhat like the u in cute: say ee with rounded lips.
- ö somewhat like the vowel in heard.
- Without umlauts
- Juergen Schroeder
- In a passport's machine-readable line
- JUERGEN SCHROEDER
- Write ü as ue, never plain u: Muller for Müller is wrong, and German law treats that change as a change of name.
Popular German boy names
Names German parents choose most often right now, including the 2025 top 10 from the Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache (GfdS).
- Emil 155 in 2025: Rival; Latin, from Aemilius. Fifth in Germany in 2025. Say AY-meel
- Henry US #5: Home ruler; Germanic, the English Heinrich. Tenth in Germany in 2025, counted with Henri
- Jonas US #599: Dove; Hebrew, the German Jonah. Say YO-nahs
- Jakob 135 in 2025: Supplanter, holder of the heel; Hebrew. Say YAH-kop
- Moritz 7 in 2025: Moorish, North African; Latin, the German Maurice. Say MOH-rits
- Karl 107 in 2025: Man; Germanic. The German name of Charlemagne
- Konstantin 20 in 2025: Steadfast, constant; Latin. Say KON-stahn-teen
- Anton 132 in 2025: A Roman family name; the German Anthony. 14th in Knud Bielefeld's 2025 ranking. Say AHN-tohn
- Oskar 93 in 2025: Possibly deer friend, Irish, or god spear, Norse. 19th in Knud Bielefeld's 2025 ranking. Say OS-kar
Traditional male German names
Germanic classics carried by emperors, composers and poets.
- Friedrich 29 in 2025: Peaceful ruler; Germanic fridu and ric. Say FREED-rikh
- Heinrich 21 in 2025: Home ruler; Germanic heim and ric. Say HINE-rikh
- Wilhelm 26 in 2025: Will and helmet; Germanic, the German William. Say VIL-helm
- Albrecht Under 5 in 2025: Noble and bright; Germanic, the German Albert. Say AHL-brekht
- Bernhard Under 5 in 2025: Brave bear; Germanic bern and hard. Say BAIRN-hart
- Gerhard Under 5 in 2025: Brave spear; Germanic ger and hard. Say GAIR-hart
- Siegfried 7 in 2025: Victory and peace; Germanic. The dragon-slaying hero of legend. Say ZEEK-freet
- Dietrich 29 in 2025: Ruler of the people; Germanic theud and ric. Say DEET-rikh
- Gottfried Under 5 in 2025: God's peace; Germanic, the German Godfrey. Say GOT-freet
- Rudolf Under 5 in 2025: Famous wolf; Germanic hrod and wulf. Say ROO-dolf
- Hermann Under 5 in 2025: Army man; Germanic heri and man. Say HAIR-mahn
- Ulrich 17 in 2025: Heritage and power; Germanic. Say OOL-rikh
- Leonhard 5 in 2025: Brave lion; Germanic, the German Leonard. Say LAY-on-hart
- Manfred Under 5 in 2025: Man of peace; Germanic. Say MAHN-freet
- Johann 85 in 2025: God is gracious; Hebrew. First name of both Bach and Goethe. Say YO-hahn
Strong German boy names
Warrior names built on old words for battle, spear, wolf and the element hard, meaning brave.
- Hartmut Under 5 in 2025: Brave mind; Germanic hard and muot. Say HART-moot
- Helmut Under 5 in 2025: Helmet and mind; Germanic helm and muot. Say HEL-moot
- Reinhard Under 5 in 2025: Brave counsel; Germanic ragin and hard. Say RINE-hart
- Eckhart Under 5 in 2025: Brave blade; Germanic ekka, edge, and hard. Say EK-hart
- Werner 10 in 2025: Army guard; Germanic warin and heri. Say VAIR-ner
- Volker Under 5 in 2025: People's army; Germanic folk and heri. Say FOL-ker
- Rüdiger Under 5 in 2025: Famous spear; Germanic hrod and ger, the German Roger
- Hartwig Under 5 in 2025: Brave in battle; Germanic hard and wig. Say HART-vikh
- Burkhard Under 5 in 2025: Strong fortress; Germanic burg and hard. Say BOORK-hart
- Eberhard Under 5 in 2025: Brave boar; Germanic ebur and hard. Say AY-ber-hart
- Wigand Under 5 in 2025: Warrior; Germanic. Say VEE-gahnt
- Siegmund Under 5 in 2025: Victory and protection; Germanic sigu and mund. Say ZEEK-moont
Old-fashioned German boy names
Grandpa names that filled German family trees, many of them short forms of older classics.
- Dieter Under 5 in 2025: People's army; Germanic theud and heri. Say DEE-ter
- Horst Under 5 in 2025: Thicket; Low German, for a wooded patch of land. Also German slang for a fool
- Jürgen 7 in 2025: Farmer, earth worker; Greek, the Low German George. Say YUER-gen
- Bernd Under 5 in 2025: Brave bear; Germanic, short for Bernhard. Say BAIRNT
- Gerd Under 5 in 2025: Brave spear; Germanic, short for Gerhard. Say GAIRT; US readers may think of GERD, acid reflux
- Kurt 62 in 2025: Bold counsel; Germanic, contracted from Konrad. Say KOORT
- Heinz Under 5 in 2025: Home ruler; Germanic, a pet form of Heinrich. Say HINES
- Jörg Under 5 in 2025: Farmer, earth worker; Greek, short for Georg. Say YURK
- Dirk 21 in 2025: Ruler of the people; Low German, short for Dietrich
- Udo Under 5 in 2025: Wealth, fortune; Germanic, a form of Otto. Say OO-doh
- Erwin 57 in 2025: Army friend; Germanic heri and wini. Say AIR-veen
- Egon Under 5 in 2025: Edge, blade; Germanic agin. Say AY-gon
- Ewald Under 5 in 2025: Law and power; Germanic ewa and wald. Say AY-vahlt
- Erich 15 in 2025: Eternal ruler; Old Norse, the German Eric. Say AY-rikh
- Ernst Under 5 in 2025: Serious, earnest; Germanic. Say AIRNST
German names for men
Male German names you meet among fathers and grandfathers today, many given to boys between the 1920s and the 1980s.
- Ralf Under 5 in 2025: Counsel wolf; Germanic rad and wulf, the German Ralph
- Rainer 34 in 2025: Counsel army; Germanic ragin and heri. Poet Rilke took it in place of René. Say RINE-er
- Joachim 25 in 2025: God will raise up; Hebrew. Say YO-ah-khim
- Jochen Under 5 in 2025: God will raise up; Hebrew, a short form of Joachim. Say YO-khen
- Achim 6 in 2025: God will raise up; Hebrew, another short form of Joachim. Say AH-khim
- Detlef Under 5 in 2025: Heir of the people; Low German, from theud and leib. Say DET-lef
- Torben 35 in 2025: Thor's bear; Old Norse, a North German and Danish favorite
- Timo 6 in 2025: Honoring God; Greek, short for Timotheus. Say TEE-moh
- Sascha 12 in 2025: Defender of men; Greek, a Russian pet form of Alexander. In the US, Sasha is mostly a girls' name
- Ingo Under 5 in 2025: From Ing, an old Germanic god. Say ING-oh
- Winfried Under 5 in 2025: Friend and peace; Germanic wini and fridu. Say VIN-freet
- Reinhold Under 5 in 2025: Counsel and rule; Germanic ragin and wald. Say RINE-hold
- Karl-Heinz Under 5 in 2025: Free man plus home ruler; a beloved German double name
- Hans-Peter Under 5 in 2025: God is gracious plus stone; a classic German double name
Biblical and saints' names in German
Church names in their German spelling and sound.
- Christoph 13 in 2025: Bearer of Christ; Greek, the German Christopher. Say KRIS-tof
- Stefan 219 in 2025: Crown, garland; Greek. Say SHTEF-ahn
- Philipp 5 in 2025: Lover of horses; Greek. Say FIL-ip
- Georg Under 5 in 2025: Farmer, earth worker; Greek, after Saint George. Say gay-ORK
- Benedikt Under 5 in 2025: Blessed one; Latin. The name taken by a German pope
- Lorenz 8 in 2025: Man from Laurentum; Latin. Say LOH-rents
- Veit Under 5 in 2025: Life; Latin, the German form of Vitus. Say FITE
- Clemens Under 5 in 2025: Merciful, gentle; Latin. Say KLAY-mens
- Niklas 10 in 2025: Victory of the people; Greek, from Nikolaus. Say NIK-lahs
- Immanuel 168 in 2025: God with us; Hebrew. The philosopher Kant's first name
- Johannes 54 in 2025: God is gracious; Hebrew. The German John, root of Hans and Hannes. Say yo-HAH-nes
- Josef 44 in 2025: He will add; Hebrew. The German Joseph, root of Sepp and Jupp. Say YO-zef
North German boy names
Low German, Frisian and Scandinavian-flavored names heard along the North Sea and Baltic coasts.
- Hinnerk Under 5 in 2025: Home ruler; Low German form of Heinrich. Say HIN-nerk
- Heiko Under 5 in 2025: Home ruler; Low German and Frisian pet form of Henrik. Say HY-ko
- Hauke Under 5 in 2025: Mind, thought; Frisian short form of hugu names. Say HOW-kuh
- Fiete Under 5 in 2025: Peaceful ruler; North German pet form of Friedrich. Say FEE-tuh
- Jens 18 in 2025: God is gracious; Hebrew, the Danish and North German John. Say YENS
- Karsten 25 in 2025: Follower of Christ; Latin, the Low German Christian. Say KAR-sten
- Steffen 5 in 2025: Crown, garland; Greek, the Low German Stephan. Say SHTEF-en
- Klaas Under 5 in 2025: Victory of the people; Greek, the Low German Nicholas. Say KLAHS
- Torsten 14 in 2025: Thor's stone; Old Norse. Say TOR-sten
- Holger Under 5 in 2025: Island spear; Old Norse holmr and geirr. Say HOL-ger
- Lennart Under 5 in 2025: Brave lion; Germanic, the Low German Leonhard. Say LEN-art
Bavarian, Austrian and Swiss boy names
Names from the Alpine south, often tied to local patron saints.
- Sepp Under 5 in 2025: He will add; Hebrew, a southern German pet form of Josef. Say ZEP
- Korbinian Under 5 in 2025: Raven; Latin corvus. Patron saint of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising
- Xaver Under 5 in 2025: New house; Basque etxe berri, after Saint Francis Xavier. Say KSAH-ver
- Franz 17 in 2025: Frankish, French; Latin, the German Francis. Say FRAHNTS
- Benno 7 in 2025: Bear; Germanic bern. Patron saint of Munich and Old Bavaria
- Urs Under 5 in 2025: Bear; Latin ursus, a Swiss classic. Say OORS
- Beat Under 5 in 2025: Blessed; Latin, the Swiss form of Beatus. Say BAY-aht
- Ueli Under 5 in 2025: Heritage and power; Germanic, a Swiss pet form of Ulrich. Say OO-eh-lee
- Ruedi Under 5 in 2025: Famous wolf; Germanic, a Swiss pet form of Rudolf. Say ROO-eh-dee
- Fridolin Under 5 in 2025: Peace; Germanic fridu. Patron saint of Glarus, Switzerland
- Reto Under 5 in 2025: Of Rhaetia; Latin, after an old Alpine province. Say RAY-toh
German nicknames for boys
Everyday short forms, many now used as full names.
- Willi Under 5 in 2025: Will and helmet; Germanic, a pet form of Wilhelm. Say VIL-ee
- Hannes Under 5 in 2025: God is gracious; Hebrew, short for Johannes. Say HAH-nes
- Jupp Under 5 in 2025: He will add; Hebrew, a Rhineland pet form of Josef. Say YOOP
- Utz Under 5 in 2025: Heritage and power; Germanic, a pet form of Ulrich. Say OOTS
- Heiner Under 5 in 2025: Home ruler; Germanic, a pet form of Heinrich. Say HY-ner
- Bastian 219 in 2025: Man of Sebaste, venerable; Greek, short for Sebastian. Say BAHS-tee-ahn
- Poldi Under 5 in 2025: Bold people; Germanic, a pet form of Leopold. Say POL-dee
- Rudi 8 in 2025: Famous wolf; Germanic, a pet form of Rudolf. Say ROO-dee
Unique German boy names
Rare names with real history, from devout old virtue names to heroes of legend.
- Gottlob Under 5 in 2025: Praise God; German, from Gott and lob. Say GOT-lohp
- Traugott Under 5 in 2025: Trust God; German, a 17th-century creation. Say TROW-got
- Leberecht Under 5 in 2025: Live rightly; German, an old virtue name. Say LAY-beh-rekht
- Gotthilf Under 5 in 2025: God's help; German, from Gott and hilf. Say GOT-hilf
- Friedemann Under 5 in 2025: Man of peace; Germanic. A son of Bach bore it. Say FREE-deh-mahn
- Falk Under 5 in 2025: Falcon; Germanic. Say FAHLK
- Hagen 73 in 2025: Enclosure; Germanic. The warrior who kills Siegfried in the Nibelungenlied
- Dagobert Under 5 in 2025: Bright day; Germanic. Scrooge McDuck's name in German comics
- Kunibert Under 5 in 2025: Bright clan; Germanic kunni and beraht. Say KOO-nee-bert
- Willibald Under 5 in 2025: Bold will; Germanic willo and bald. Say VIL-ee-bahlt
- Meinrad Under 5 in 2025: Strong counsel; Germanic. A hermit saint of Einsiedeln, Switzerland
- Waldemar 5 in 2025: Famous ruler; Germanic walt and mari. Say VAHL-deh-mar
- Anselm 9 in 2025: God and helmet; Germanic ans and helm. Say AHN-zelm
- Arno 27 in 2025: Eagle; Germanic arn, short for Arnold
- Ruprecht Under 5 in 2025: Bright fame; Germanic, an old form of Robert. Saint Nicholas's helper in folklore
- Till Under 5 in 2025: Ruler of the people; Germanic, short for Dietrich. Eulenspiegel's first name
How to pick the right name
Say it the German way
W sounds like v, j like y, ei like eye and z like ts. Wolfgang is VOLF-gahng and Franz is FRAHNTS, so test how the name sounds with your last name both ways.
Look for the brave element
The old element hard means brave or hardy. Bernhard, Gerhard, Reinhard and Eberhard all carry it, which gives them their solid, strong feel.
Check the everyday version
Friedrich becomes Fritz, Ludwig becomes Lutz and Johannes becomes Hannes. Make sure you like the short form as much as the full name, because it will get used.
Think about the region
Fiete and Hauke sound North German, Sepp and Korbinian sound Bavarian, and Urs and Reto sound Swiss. The region you want to echo can narrow the list fast.
Save this list for later
Pin it to a naming board, or tap the heart next to any name to keep it in your favorites on this device.
German boy names: Germany's 2025 top 10, how the same names rank in the US, and the names that date a German man
By The Nomezo Editors · Updated October 25, 2026 · How we research names
Noah was Germany's most popular boy's name in 2025 for another year, and the big movers were short and old: Leo jumped from 12th to 4th and Theo from 7th to 3rd in the Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache (GfdS) ranking. Most German boys get just one first name: 63.7% did in 2025.
Some German favorites barely register in the US: Emil is 5th in Germany but No. 1,269 for US boys. The kit above shows how to say a German name and spell it without umlauts, and the tables below compare the two countries.
Germany's top 10 boys' names, 2025
| Rank | Name | Share of boys | Rank in 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Noah | 1.48% | 1 |
| 2 | Matteo (and Matheo) | 1.32% | 2 |
| 3 | Theo | 1.08% | 7 |
| 4 | Leo | 1.08% | 12 |
| 5 | Emil | 1.05% | 8 |
| 6 | Leon | 1.03% | 3 |
| 7 | Elias | 1.03% | 9 |
| 8 | Paul | 1.02% | 5 |
| 9 | Luca (and Luka) | 1.02% | 4 |
| 10 | Henry (and Henri) | 1.00% | 6 |
Source: GfdS, from 749 registry offices covering about 91% of names given, published June 9, 2026; 2024 ranks from its detailed report. Knud Bielefeld's separate count of about 260,000 birth announcements also puts Noah first (Bielefeld).
German favorites in the US
| Name | Germany, 2025 | US boys, 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Noah | 1st | #2 |
| Henry | 10th | #5 |
| Matteo | 2nd | #146 (Mateo #8) |
| Theo | 3rd | #82 (Theodore #4) |
| Leo | 4th | #19 |
| Elias | 7th | #13 |
| Emil | 5th | #1,269 |
| Otto | Not in the top 10 | #277 |
| Moritz | Not in the top 10 | 7 boys |
Sources: GfdS; US Social Security Administration.
Names that date a German man
| Born in | Top five |
|---|---|
| 1940 | Peter, Klaus, Hans, Jürgen, Dieter |
| 1960 | Thomas, Michael, Andreas, Peter, Frank |
| 2025 | Noah, Matteo, Elias, Theo, Leo |
Source: Knud Bielefeld's lists for 1940, 1960 and 2025, unofficial counts from birth announcements.
How Germany approves a name
- The registry office decides. The Standesamt makes the legal decision, and the child's welfare comes first, so a name must not expose a child to ridicule; pure surnames like Müller and ordinary words are refused (GfdS).
- Maria for a boy. Maria is allowed as a boy's second name, though not his first, as long as the first name is clearly a boy's name, as in Klaus Maria (GfdS).
Sources
Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular boy name in Germany?
Noah topped the 2025 ranking of the Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache (GfdS), followed by Matteo (counted with spellings like Matheo) and Theo. Leo and Emil completed the top five.
What are old German boy names?
Friedrich, Heinrich, Wilhelm, Ludwig, Otto and Konrad are classic male German names. Grandpa names from the 1930s and 1940s include Dieter, Horst, Jürgen, Klaus and Heinz.
What German boy names mean strong or warrior?
Ludwig means famous warrior, Günther means battle warrior and Wigand simply means warrior. Names ending in -hard, like Bernhard (brave bear), carry the old word for brave.
What are common German nicknames for boys?
Fritz comes from Friedrich, Heinz from Heinrich, Willi from Wilhelm, Sepp from Josef and Hannes from Johannes. Many of these short forms are now used as full names.
How do you pronounce German boy names?
W is said like v, so Wilhelm is VIL-helm. J sounds like y (Jakob is YAH-kop), ei sounds like eye (Heinrich is HINE-rikh) and z sounds like ts.
Can a German boy have Maria as a middle name?
Yes, as a second name. The registry office allows Maria after a clearly male first name, as in Klaus Maria or Sebastian-Maria, but not as a boy's first name.
How many first names do German babies get?
Usually one. In the GfdS count for 2025, 63.7% of babies got one first name, 33.2% got two, 2.9% three and 0.3% more than three.
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