German names
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Most popular German names in official statistics
Austria, 2025
Source: Statistik Austria.
Germany, 2025
Source: Landeshauptstadt München, Statistisches Amt (Munich city open data).
Switzerland, 2025
Featured in baby name books
Abigail
Abigail is a biblical Hebrew name meaning “father’s joy,” with nicknames such as Abby, Abbie, and Gail. In the Old Testament, Abigail was the clever, beautiful wife of Nabal who calmed David’s anger with a generous gift and later became his wife.
Abraham
Abraham is a Hebrew name meaning “father of many” or “father of nations,” with forms like Abe, Avram, and the Arabic Ibrahim. The biblical Abraham, first called Abram, is regarded as a forefather of both the Jewish and Arab peoples through his sons Isaac and Ishmael.
Adam
Adam is a Hebrew name meaning “man” and tied to the word for earth, often rendered “of the red earth.” In the Bible, Adam was the first man, formed from dust and placed in Eden with Eve as his partner.
Adrian
Adrian is a Latin name for a man “from Hadria,” a town in northern Italy that gave its name to the Adriatic region. Adrian is also read as meaning “dark,” “black,” or “black earth,” with variants like Adrien and Hadrian.
Albert
Albert is a Germanic name meaning “noble and bright,” often extended to “famous,” with forms like Albrecht and Alberto and nicknames Al and Bertie. Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, popularized the name in England, and Albert Einstein linked it with genius; it was very popular until the 1930s but has since faded.
Alexander
Alexander is a Greek name meaning “defender of men” or “protector,” with countless forms worldwide, including Alessandro, Alejandro, Alistair, and Sasha. Alexander the Great made the name a byword for strength and leadership, and it has never been more popular; other famous bearers include Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.
Alfred
Alfred is an Old English name meaning “elf counsel” or “wise counselor,” with Alfie, Alf, and Fred as nicknames and Alfredo as a Latin form. King Alfred, who unified the Anglo-Saxon peoples, is the only English king known as “the Great.”
Alice
Alice is a Germanic name meaning “noble” or “nobility,” originally a form of Adelaide, with variants such as Alys and Alyce. Alice is also linked to a Greek word for “truthful.”
Angela
Angela comes from Greek and means “messenger of God” or “angel,” with forms such as Angelina, Angelique, and the Irish Aingeal, and Angie as a nickname. Famous bearers include actresses Angela Lansbury and Angela Bassett and German chancellor Angela Merkel.
Arthur
Arthur is a Celtic name usually traced to artos, “bear,” and glossed as “bear-hero” or “rock,” with Arturo and Artur as other forms. The legendary King Arthur made the name famous, and the Duke of Wellington and Tennyson’s Idylls of the King boosted it; it was in the U.S. top fifteen around 1900.
Claudia
Claudia is the feminine of Claudius and comes from Latin for “lame.” The name stayed popular despite its meaning, thanks largely to the Roman Emperor Claudius.
Daniel
Daniel is a Hebrew name meaning “God is my judge,” with Dan and Danny as nicknames. The biblical Daniel was an exiled Israelite who rose in Babylon by interpreting dreams and survived a night in the lion's den.
David
David is a Hebrew name meaning “beloved,” “cherished,” or “darling.” The biblical David was a shepherd boy who slew Goliath, wrote psalms and music, and became a mighty king of Israel.
Dennis
Dennis means “follower of Dionysus,” the Greek god of wine and revelry. St. Denis is France's patron saint, where the name is very popular as Denis.
Edgar
Edgar is an Old English name meaning “wealthy spearman.” Edgar is an ancient English royal name and a character in King Lear, and it is worth a second look now that Edward is so common.
Edith
Edith is an Old English name meaning “prosperity in war” or “struggle for wealth.” Edith is also read as “spoils of war,” and the first Edith was a daughter of King Edgar the Peaceful.
Edward
Edward is an Old English royal name meaning “wealthy guardian” or “prosperous protector.” Edward is also glossed as “guardian of property,” and bearers include playwright Edward Albee, painter Edward Hopper, and actor Edward Norton.
Emmett
Emmett is a boy’s name that grew out of Emma and means “universal,” or “industrious ruler.” Emmett is also read as Hebrew for “truth” or German for “powerful.”
Eric
Eric is a Norse name meaning “eternal ruler” or “ruler of the people.” Erik the Red and several Scandinavian kings bore the name, and it peaked in the 1970s helped by Eric Clapton and speedskater Eric Heiden.
Iris
Iris is Greek for “rainbow,” and is also a flower name. In Greek myth Iris was the rainbow goddess who carried messages between heaven and earth; the stylized iris is the fleur-de-lis of France.
Joseph
Joseph is a Hebrew name meaning “God will add” or “God will increase.” In the Bible, Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son, sold into slavery in Egypt, and another Joseph was the carpenter husband of Mary.
Michael
Michael is a Hebrew name posing the question “who is like God,” and is the name of an archangel. Michael is the archangel who protects Israel in Daniel and leads heaven’s angels against the devil in Revelation; he is also patron saint of soldiers and appears in the Koran.
Paul
Paul is a Latin name meaning “small” or “humble,” with forms around the world such as Pablo, Paolo and Pavel. The apostle Paul, born Saul, persecuted Christians until a blinding vision on the road to Damascus, then became a central figure of the early Church and wrote much of the New Testament.
Peter
Peter comes from the Greek Petros, “rock,” and has countless international forms, including Pierre, Pedro, Pyotr and Pieter. The apostle Peter, a Galilean fisherman born Simon, was renamed by Jesus as the rock of his church and is regarded as the first pope.
Rose
Rose comes from the Latin name of the flower, with many forms such as Rosa, Rosie, Rosalie, and Rosetta. Rose was the earliest flower name, probably because of its connection with the Virgin Mary, and it stands for love and purity, while the Bible refers to the “rose of Sharon.”
Samuel
Samuel is a Hebrew name meaning “God has heard” or “asked of God.” The biblical Samuel, born to Hannah who had asked God for him, became Israel’s last judge and first prophet.
Sarah
Sarah is a Hebrew name meaning “princess,” with nicknames such as Sally and Sadie. In Genesis, the beautiful Sarai was renamed Sarah and, late in life, bore Isaac to Abraham, earning the title “mother of nations.”
Tobias
Tobias is a Hebrew name meaning “God is good,” with Toby as its classic nickname and Tobiah and Tobin as related forms. In the Book of Tobit, Tobias travels with the angel Raphael, defeats a demon, and marries Sarah.
Veronica
Veronica is a Latin name meaning “true image,” with Veronique and Veronika as foreign forms and Ronnie and Vera as nicknames. By legend, Saint Veronica wiped Jesus’s face with her veil as he carried the cross, and the cloth kept the image of his face, though she never appears in the Bible itself.
Walter
Walter is a German name meaning “ruler of the army” or “army commander,” though some books render it “ruler of the people.” The name was a U.S. top-fifteen pick in the early 1900s and is tied to Walter Scott, Walter Raleigh, Walter Cronkite, and Walt Disney; Walt and Wally may make it fresh again.
These lists are only intended to give you name ideas. Make sure to further research each name, as some may have negative connotations.