German Name Generator
German names built the old way: two genuine Germanic word-elements per given name, plus real occupational and place-based surnames.
10,768,680 combinations
Male and female german names, each with a matching german last name and the meaning of every element shown.
- Volkward Steinhagen
Volk folk + ward guard
Stein stone + hagen enclosure
- Erktrudis Rosenfischer
Erk genuine + trudis might
Rosen roses + fischer fisherman
- Gottbald Burgstein
Gott god + bald bold
Burg castle + stein stone
- Adalmuth Vogeldorf
Adal noble + muth courage
Vogel bird + dorf village
- Ebergott Reinmeier
Eber boar + gott god
Rein pure + meier steward
- Hildrun Weinmeier
Hild battle + run secret
Wein wine + meier steward
- Winram Winterbaum
Win friend + ram raven
Winter cold season + baum tree
- Ansgardis Hufhausen
Ans god + gardis enclosure
Huf hoof + hausen houses
- Wernwolf Sandhagen
Wern protector + wolf pack hunter
Sand sandy ground + hagen enclosure
- Ramgundis Kupferrichter
Ram raven + gundis war
Kupfer copper + richter judge
- Ratbrun Steinfeld
Rat counsel + brun brown
Stein stone + feld field
- Hadtrudis Zimmerfischer
Had combat + trudis might
Zimmer timber + fischer fisherman
- Adalmut Birkmeier
Adal noble + mut courage
Birk birch + meier steward
- Fastswind Bachhauer
Fast firm + swind strong
Bach brook + hauer hewer
- Fastmann Braunburg
Fast firm + mann man
Braun brown + burg castle
- Fastrade Lindbach
Fast firm + rade counsel
Lind linden + bach brook
- Trudold Bachwald
Trud strength + old ruler
Bach brook + wald forest
- Ramheid Starkweber
Ram raven + heid quality
Stark strong + weber weaver
- Richram Eichschneider
Rich ruler + ram raven
Eich oak + schneider tailor
- Kunigundis Eisenhaus
Kuni kin + gundis war
Eisen iron + haus house
- Grimwolf Altmann
Grim mask + wolf pack hunter
Alt old + mann man
- Hadsind Vogelschäfer
Had combat + sind journey
Vogel bird + schäfer shepherd
- Wartram Rotschmidt
Wart guard + ram raven
Rot red + schmidt smith
- Mechtlind Sonnenrath
Mecht might + lind gentle
Sonnen sun + rath clearing
Need a name that means something in particular? Build one from its meaning.
How German names are built
¶Old Germanic names are made of two words, and both halves still mean what they meant. Ber is bear, hard is hardy, so Bernhard is bear-hardy. Wolf plus gang, a path or going, gives Wolfgang. Fried is peace, rich is ruler, so Friedrich is peace-ruler. Hild is battle, gard is an enclosure, giving Hildegard. The stock of elements is small, perhaps eighty words, and almost every German name in use descends from it.
The halves were not chosen to make sense together. A child took one element from the father and one from the mother, so Hildegund and Sieglinde are heirlooms rather than descriptions, and combinations like bright-raven or war-friend read oddly on purpose. The second element carries the gender: bert, hard, mund, wald, rich and mann are men's, while hild, gund, trud, gard, lind and burg are women's, which is how Gertrud and Gerhard split from the same first half.
Surnames arrived far later, in the towns of the late Middle Ages, and are ordinary German nouns. Schmidt is the smith, Bäcker the baker, Müller the miller, Schneider the tailor, Weber the weaver. The rest describe where a household stood: Bergmann is the mountain man, Neumann the newcomer, Steinbach the stony brook, Rosenberg the rose hill. German compounds freely, so the two halves fit together the same way the given names do.
More german names
Male german names
- Dankwin Kurzhausen thought friend
- Irmhad Baumheim great combat
- Bergis Goldweg bear pledge
- Konbert Jungkamp daring bright
- Volksieg Wolfhaus folk victory
- Grimhold Buchschäfer mask gracious
- Ludgis Jungberg renowned pledge
- Winhardt Starkhorn friend hardy
- Hugnand Eichmeier mind daring
- Isenbrun Hofweg iron brown
- Isenbrecht Grünfeld iron bright
- Brunmut Starkschäfer brown courage
- Frankhold Wasserfischer free gracious
- Landhug Kalthorn territory mind
- Fasthard Rosenbrunn firm hardy
- Sieghad Kleinhoff victory combat
- Nordsind Baumhaus north journey
- Nordmut Hochwald north courage
Female german names
- Amalswind Altbaum vigour strong
- Arnburga Weinschneider eagle fortress
- Dietburga Wildtal people fortress
- Hadgardis Kleinstein combat enclosure
- Adalsind Hochburg noble journey
- Erklindis Lindbaum genuine gentle
- Konhilde Hofburg daring battle
- Meinswintha Mühlbrunn strength strong
- Ansgunde Wolfhoff god war
- Otrun Starkwald wealth secret
- Hugburg Hofmann mind fortress
- Bertswintha Weissholz bright strong
- Winlinde Kurzdorf friend gentle
- Hildburg Wildheim battle fortress
- Bertwig Hochmüller bright battle
- Meinlind Steinhorn strength gentle
- Swanburgis Weststadt white waterbird fortress
- Erkheide Seestadt genuine quality
Questions
What are common German surnames?
Müller, Schmidt, Schneider, Fischer, Weber, Meyer, Wagner, Becker, Bauer and Hoffmann lead the lists, and nearly all of them are trades: miller, smith, tailor, fisherman, weaver, cartwright, baker, farmer. Meyer was a tenant steward and Hoffmann a man of the farmstead. Place-based names such as Bergmann, Neumann and Lindenberg are the next largest group.
What do German first names mean?
Almost all of them are two Germanic words joined together. Ludwig is renowned battle, Gertrud is spear strength, Wilhelm is will helmet, Adelheid is noble quality, Konrad is daring counsel, Bernhard is bear hardy. Because the halves are ordinary words, a German speaker can usually still hear at least one of them inside a modern name.
How can you tell if a German name is male or female?
By the second element rather than the first. Names ending in bert, hard, mar, mund, rich, wald or mann are men's; names ending in hild, gund, trud, gard, lind, burg or run are women's. The same first half serves both, which is why Gerhard and Gertrud, or Siegfried and Sieglinde, are sibling names rather than a pair.
What does -bert mean at the end of a German name?
It is beraht, meaning bright or shining, and it is one of the most productive endings in the language. Albert is noble-bright, Robert is glory-bright, Norbert is north-bright, Herbert is army-bright. The variant spelling brecht survives in Albrecht and in the surname Brecht, and the same element became -bright in English place names.
Are these real German names?
The elements are. Every fragment here is an attested Germanic name-word or an ordinary German noun, given with its standard meaning. Many pairings are established names such as Bernhard, Hildegard and Wolfgang; others are new but legal combinations, which is exactly how the system worked when it was still producing names.