German names: Our top 20 for girls and boys
We would like to support you on the way to the right name for your baby. That’s why we present 20 German first names for girls and boys in this article, both well-known and rather rare names.
German first names for girls
There are many beautiful German girl names . We have therefore put together our 20 favorites, with the respective name meanings, for you:
- Anne stands for “the gifted” or “the lovely”. The girl’s name comes from the Hebrew word “channah”, which means “grace”.
- Marie is one of the most popular and common names for girls in Germany. It stands for “the beloved of God” or “the unruly one”.
- Romy has a Latin-Hebrew name origin and means “the blossoming rose” or “the unruly rose”. The girl’s first name is a combination of “Rosa” and “Marie”.
- Leonie is one of the most popular German girl names. It comes from the Latin word “leo” which means “the lion”. The name therefore stands for “the strong”, “the lioness” or “the fighter”.
- Elisha comes from the Hebrew and carries the religious meaning “my God is abundance”. The long form of this beautiful name is “Elisabeth”.
- Hermine is an Old High German first name that was very popular, especially at the beginning of the 20th century. It stands for “the warrior”. The most famous namesake is probably Hermione from the Harry Potter books – not a bad role model for your little girl.
- Valentina has its origins in the Latin word “valens” and means “the strong”, “the strong” or “the healthy”.
- Alina stands for “the noble” or “the sublime” and probably comes from the Old High German name “Adelheid”.
- Dana is the female version of the boy’s name “Daniel”, which is composed of the Hebrew words “dan”, meaning “the judge”, and “el”, meaning “god”. “Dana” therefore means “God be my judge”.
- Emilia is of Latin origin and is one of the most popular German girl names in recent years. It stands for “the eager one” or “the diligent one”.
- Stefanie is “the victorious” or “the crowned”. The name came from the ancient Greek term “stephanos”, which can be translated as “the crown” or “the wreath”.
- Julia is a very popular girl’s name in different variants in many language areas, including here in Germany since the 1970s. Derived from the Latin word “iovilius”, this first name means “dedicated to Jupiter”.
- Stella comes from Latin and has the beautiful meaning “the star” or “the same star”. The French name version of “Stella” is “Estelle”.
- Maja means “the higher one” or “the golden curl”. In Greek mythology, “Maia” was the mother of Hermes.
- Christine is of Latin-Ancient Greek origin. The timeless girl’s name is derived from “christianus” and has the religious meaning “the anointed” or “the Christian woman”.
- Hannah comes from the Hebrew word channah. Translated, the girl’s name has the following meanings: “the graceful”, “the lovely” or “the gracious”.
- Lea has been a popular first name for girls for many years. The exact origin is not certain, but the name probably comes from the Hebrew. There the word “le’ah” stands for “the wild cow”.
- Eleonor comes from the Germanic and means “the stranger” or “the other”. As a short form or nickname, “Leo” is very popular for girls.
- Johanna means “God is kind” or “the gifted one”. The girl’s name was popular in Germany around 1990 and is still given to many newborns today.
- Mathilda is an Old High German first name, which carries the strong meaning “the mighty fighter” or “the mighty heroine”.
German first names for boys
If you are looking for a boy ‘s name , then our following overview will hopefully help you – maybe we can even surprise you with some lesser-known first names. Our favorite German names for boys are:
- Julian comes from Latin and means “dedicated to Jupiter”. A famous namesake was the Roman general “Gaius Julius Caesar”, who came from the patrician family of “Julier”.
- Leopold comes from Old High German and stands for “the bold and courageous of the people”. The boy’s name is a modification of the old name “Liutbald”.
- Emil is of Latin origin and means “the eager one” or “the hardworking one”. The boy’s name came from the word “aemulus”, which translated means “to emulate”.
- Gerald is a rather rare Germanic boy name in Germany. The sonorous name means “ruler” or “ruler with spear”. Other name variants are “Gerold” and “Gerwald”.
- Theo , or Theodor, means “gift of God”. The name comes from the ancient Greek words “theos”, meaning “god”, and “doron”, meaning “gift”.
- Lorenz stands for “the laurel wreath”. The German name was derived from the Latin term “laurus”, which means “the laurel wreath”.
- Luke comes from ancient Greek and means translated “the bringer of light”, the “shining one” or “the one born in daylight”.
- Clemens was already a popular name for boys in the Middle Ages. Translated from Latin, it means “the merciful”, “the mild” or “the meek”.
- Felix derives as a first name from the Latin word “felicis” which means “happy”. “Felix” is therefore “the lucky one”, “the lucky one” or “the successful one”.
- Oswin is an old Germanic boy name and rather rare in Germany. However, it has a beautiful meaning, namely “the friend of God”. “Oswin” came from the name “Answin”.
- Jonas comes from the Hebrew name “Jonah” and means “the dove” or “the bringer of peace”.
- Vincent came from the Latin word “vincere” which means “to conquer”. “Vincent” therefore means “the victorious”.
- Matthias was a very popular German boy name, especially between 1960 and 1980. Today, many boys receive it at birth again. It means “the gift of God” or “the gift of God”.
- Tom is short for Thomas. The name originated from the Aramaic word “teoma”, which means “the twin” in German.
- Sebastian has a Greek origin and means “the venerable” or “the sublime”. The name came from the old first name “Sebastinus”.
- Noah is a popular unisex first name that translates to “the one who comforts” or “the one who calms”. It originally comes from Hebrew.
- Michael has been a popular first name for boys in Germany for decades, but also in other language areas. It comes from the Hebrew and literally translated means “who is like God?”.
- Oliver is the “broadener of hope” or “the olive tree planter”. The name has Latin roots and came from the word “Olivarius”.
- Florian is a popular name across Europe and stands for “the magnificent”, “the wonderful” or “the blooming”. It has a Latin origin and is regularly one of the most popular boys’ first names in Germany.
- Anton comes as a first name from the ancient Roman family of “Antonians”. The name therefore means “from the family of the Antonier stemming”. In Roman mythology, “Anteo” was the son of Hercules.