German last names read like small deeds. A trade, a hill, a stream, or a nickname a village never let go. Germany carries an estimated 800,000 surnames, and researchers at Mainz and Darmstadt are documenting about 200,000 of them in the Digital Dictionary of Surnames in Germany (1).
Not all of them started out German. As Rita Heuser of the Mainz Academy of Sciences and Literature puts it, “There is no single region in Germany in which we find names that are exclusively of German origin.”
Below are 100 German surnames with meanings, pronunciations, spelling variants, and famous bearers, plus current U.S. Social Security birth data for the 37 that Americans also use as first names (2). The rules around these names are shifting as well, since married couples in Germany have been able to share a joint double surname from May 1, 2025 (3).
Popularity at a Glance
The most popular names on this list in the United States, 1965 to 2025: Walter, Kaiser, Meyer, Wolf and Keller.
100 Popular German Last Names
Become an expert in German last names by checking out our cool list ahead.
Afflerbach
Afflerbach started as a place name for the family that lived where a stream ran past an apple tree. The High German affal supplied the apple and bach supplied the brook. Put together it reads like a set of directions rather than a label for a person. Names built this way were practical, since the neighbors already knew the spot, so the spot became the name.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Apple brook
- Pronunciation: AFF-ler-BAWK
- Popularity: Afflerbach is very rare worldwide and mostly used in Germany. It has never been given to enough U.S. babies in a single year to appear in federal birth records, which publish only names reaching at least five births.
Albrecht
Albrecht carries two of the oldest ideas in Germanic naming, aedel for noble and beorht for bright or shining. It began as a personal name before families kept it for good, and it also stands as a German turn on the Dutch Albrecht, read as Lambrecht’s son. The sound is formal without being stiff. Daniel Albrecht won World Championship gold on skis and Harold Albrecht sat in a Canadian parliament.
- Origin: German, Dutch
- Meaning: Noble, bright
- Pronunciation: AEL-Brehkt
- Variations: Albrech, Allbrecht
- Namesakes: Daniel Albrecht, a Swiss alpine ski racer and gold medalist at the 2003 World Championships. Harold Albrecht, the Canadian Member of Parliament from 2006 until 2019.
- Popularity: Albrecht is uncommon worldwide and mainly used in Germany, where it ranked 63rd in 2014.
Bach
Bach belonged to whoever lived beside the stream, from the High German bach, and the short, blunt sound travels well enough that it also turns up in Denmark, France, the Netherlands and Croatia. Johann Sebastian Bach made it a byword for Baroque music, though the families who carried it first were simply the ones by the water.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Dweller near the brook
- Pronunciation: BAAGH
- Variations: Bache, Bacher, Bacche
- Namesakes: Johann Sebastian Bach, a German Baroque composer known for the Goldberg Variations. Paul Bach, an English press journalist, and editor-in-chief of the Celtic Press group.
- Popularity: Bach is rare worldwide and primarily used in Vietnam, ranking 199th in 2014. As a U.S. given name it barely registers, last appearing in Social Security birth records at 12,238th in 2020.
Barfuss
Barfuss began as a nickname for someone seen going barefoot, from bar for bare and vuoz for foot. The related word Barfuesser described people who went without shoes on purpose, including Franciscan monks who did so to honor a vow of poverty. So a name that sounds like a joke started as a note about either hardship or piety, depending on the man wearing it. It is one of the most literal surnames on this list.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Naked foot
- Pronunciation: BAAR-Fus
- Variations: Barfus, Barfuesse
- Popularity: Barfuss is very rare worldwide and mostly used in the U.S. It has never been given to enough U.S. babies in a single year to appear in federal birth records, which publish only names reaching at least five births.
Bartel
Bartel comes from the personal name Bertwald and often served as its short form. It also stands in for Bartholomaus, the German Bartholomew, which is why it works as both a nickname and a full family name. Paul Bartel and Mateusz Bartel have since kept it in film credits and on chess tables.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Bright rule
- Pronunciation: BAHR-tehl
- Variations: Barthels, Bartels
- Namesakes: Paul Bartel, an American actor, and director known for the film Eating Raoul. Mateusz Bartel, a Polish chess Grandmaster and winner of the Polish Chess Championship from 2010 to 2012.
- Popularity: Bartel is rare worldwide and mainly used in Germany, where it ranked 695th in 2014. U.S. birth records list it as a given name once, at 3,602nd in 1942.
Bauer
Bauer is one of the plainest German family names and one of the most widespread. It grew out of the Low German bur, an occupant of a small dwelling, and worked as a friendly nickname for a neighbor or fellow citizen before it settled into farmer. Nothing about it is fancy, which is rather the point: it named the person who worked the land everyone else depended on. Television gave it a second life through Jack Bauer, the lead of the series 24.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Peasant, farmer
- Pronunciation: BOU-ehr
- Variations: Baur, Bauerr, Bauerre
- Namesakes: Christina Bauer, a French-Norwegian volleyball player who competed at the 2007 Women’s European Championship. Jutta Bauer, a German children’s writer/illustrator and winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 2010.
- Popularity: Bauer ranked 1,314th worldwide, is primarily used in Germany, and ranked 517th in the U.S. in 2010. It is used as a U.S. first name too, ranking 2,486th in 2025, rising over the previous decade of births.
Baumer
Baumer looks like it should mean tree dweller, and the Low German bom does sit behind it, but the sense is a barrier rather than a trunk. The name went to the man posted at the beam laid across a road, which made him a customs or border official. That is a long job description folded into two syllables. Daniela Baumer and Bettina Baumer show how far it has traveled from that roadside post.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Keeper of the road barrier
- Pronunciation: BAU-mer
- Variations: Baume
- Namesakes: Daniela Baumer, a Swiss sprint canoer and silver medalist at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Bettina Bäumer, an Austrian-Indian awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2015.
- Popularity: Baumer is rare worldwide and mostly used in Germany.
Becker
Becker is the German cousin of the Dutch Bakker and means exactly what it looks like. It comes from backen, to bake, and covered anyone who worked an oven, whether the loaves were bread or the bricks were clay. It is common enough in Germany to feel like a default surname, and common in the United States too, where it ranked 357th in 2010. Beckker and Bekker are the spelling variants most likely to turn up in older records.
- Origin: German, Dutch
- Meaning: Baker
- Pronunciation: BEH-Ker
- Variations: Beckker, Bekker
- Namesakes: Charlotte Becker, a German racing cyclist who competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Jurek Becker, a Polish-German writer known for the book Jacob the Liar.
- Popularity: Becker ranked 1,074th worldwide and is primarily used in Germany, ranking 8th in 2014. As a U.S. first name it ranked 4,151st in 2025.
Berger
Berger points at high ground. The root Berg means hill, so the name marked a family living in the mountains or on the slopes above a town. It doubles as a French occupational name for a shepherd, which fits the same landscape from a different angle. It is one of the more common surnames here on both sides of the Atlantic, ranking 881st in the United States in 2010.
- Origin: German, French
- Meaning: Shepherd
- Pronunciation: BUHR-ger
- Variations: Barger
- Namesakes: Óscar Berger, the President of Guatemala from 2004 to 2008. Robert “Buzz” Berger, an American film producer for the Emmy Award-winning TV miniseries Holocaust.
- Popularity: Berger ranked 1,884th worldwide, is mostly used in Germany and ranked 11th in Austria in 2014. It last appeared as a U.S. given name in 1931, at 3,419th.
Bergmann
Bergmann works in German and Swedish alike, and in both it says mountain man. In German it also means miner, the man who went into the hill rather than the one who lived on it. The parts are easy to see: berg for hill or mountain and man for the one who dwells there. Juliette Bergmann and Arthur Bergmann took it into bodybuilding and rock music, a long way from the mine shaft.
- Origin: German, Swedish
- Meaning: Mountain man
- Pronunciation: BERG-man
- Variations: Bergman
- Namesakes: Juliette Bergmann, a Dutch female bodybuilder, and the 1984 Dutch National Champion. Arthur Bergmann, a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, made a member of the Order of Canada in 2021.
- Popularity: Bergmann is rare worldwide and mainly used in Germany, where it ranked 90th in 2014.
Bierhals
Bierhals is among the most cheerful German family names, meaning beer throat, and it likely grew out of a group nickname, the kind a village pins on a family and never takes back. Save it for the relative who plans vacations around breweries.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Beer throat
- Pronunciation: BEER-halz
- Popularity: Bierhals is very rare worldwide and primarily used in Brazil. It has never been given to enough U.S. babies in a single year to appear in federal birth records, which publish only names reaching at least five births.
Böhm
Böhm was a German name for people who had come from Bohemia, the land once called the home of the Boii. That region sits in the western half of the modern Czech Republic, so the surname is really a note about where a family moved from. Names of this kind were useful in a growing town where half the new arrivals were strangers. Siegfried Böhm and Annett Böhm have since carried it into East German politics and international judo.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Bohemian
- Pronunciation: BOWM
- Variations: Bohme, Boehm, Boehme
- Namesakes: Siegfried Böhm, the East German finance minister from 1966 to 1980. Annett Böhm, a German Judoka and gold medalist at the 1997 European Junior Championships.
- Popularity: Böhm is rare worldwide, mostly used in the U.S., and ranked 1,223rd in Sweden in 2014.
Braun
Braun is the German word for brown, used as a nickname for hair color, complexion or the clothes someone habitually wore. It also shaped the given name Bruno. Plenty of German immigrants translated it to Brown once they reached the United States, which is why the two names shadow each other in American records. Bob Braun kept the original spelling on The Bob Braun Show for years.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Brown
- Pronunciation: BRAWN
- Variations: Braunn, Braune, Braunne
- Namesakes: Bob Braun, an American TV personality known for hosting The Bob Braun Show from 1967 to 1984. Jürgen Braun, a member of the German Bundestag since 2017.
- Popularity: Braun ranked 1,906th worldwide and is mainly used in Germany, ranking 20th in 2014. As a U.S. first name it ranked 8,357th in 2025.
Cantor
Cantor sits at a crossroads of languages. In Middle English it meant a glover, while the Latin cantere points to someone who sings. The musical sense is the one that stuck, since a cantor leads a congregation in song and sometimes in prayer. That gives the surname a role rather than a trait, and a fairly enviable one.
- Origin: German, English
- Meaning: Singer
- Pronunciation: KAEN-ter
- Variations: Cant, Canter
- Namesakes: Leo Cantor, a Jewish-American football player for the New York Giants in 1942. Anthony Cantor, the British Ambassador to Armenia since 2006.
- Popularity: Cantor is rare worldwide, mainly used in Colombia, and ranked 507th in Honduras in 2014.
Dahm
Dahm is a “D” surname for a family that came from Dahme, a place name that repeats in several corners of Germany. It also reads as son of Dahm, since Dahm served as a Germanic pet form of Adam. Two origins in one short syllable is part of its appeal.
- Origin: German, Danish
- Meaning: From Dahme
- Pronunciation: DAAM
- Variations: Dahmer, Daem
- Namesakes: Britta Dahm, a German swimmer and bronze medalist at the 1987 European Aquatics Championships. Paul Dahm, a Luxembourgian composer known for arranging Mozart’s three sonatas.
- Popularity: Dahm is extremely rare worldwide, with only 29 occurrences in 2014, primarily in the U.S.
Dietrich
Dietrich is one of the oldest names here and one of the most useful. It traces to Theodoric, built from theud for people and ric for powerful, so the sense is ruler of the people. German also uses the word for a lockpick, which gives the name a second life as keeper of the keys. Marlene Dietrich carried it out of Germany and into The Blue Angel. It is formal, a little theatrical, and it has aged well.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Ruler of the people
- Pronunciation: DIY-Trayk
- Namesakes: Marlene Dietrich, a German-American actress best known for The Blue Angel (1930). Klaus Dietrich, an Austrian footballer for Hibernian.
- Popularity: Dietrich is uncommon worldwide and mostly used in Germany, ranking 86th in 2014. It works as a U.S. first name as well, ranking 3,777th in 2025.
Durchdenwald
Durchdenwald is nearly gone, which is a shame, because it reads like a stage direction, through the forest, and it may have described a family whose home lay on the far side of the woods or a man whose job was steering travelers through them. Either way it belongs to the small group of German surnames that describe a route instead of a person.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Through-the-forest
- Pronunciation: DURCH-tehn-VALD
- Popularity: Durchdenwald is extremely rare worldwide, with only 57 occurrences in 2014, mainly in Germany. It has never been given to enough U.S. babies in a single year to appear in federal birth records, which publish only names reaching at least five births.
Eberhardt
Eberhardt means descendant of Eberhard, and the parts are as sturdy as the sound: eber for wild boar and hard for brave and hardy. Names in this family often sat with leaders and the households around them. The spelling wanders between Eberhart, Ebberhardt and Eberheart, so expect to spell it out. Isabelle Eberhardt carried it as a Swiss explorer and author.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Strength of a boar
- Pronunciation: EBB-er-Hart
- Variations: Eberheart, Eberhart, Ebberhardt, Ebberhart
- Namesakes: Cliff Eberhardt, an American folk singer-songwriter and founding member of the Fast Folk Music Cooperative in New York City. Isabelle Eberhardt, a Swiss explorer and author who wrote short stories under a male pseudonym.
- Popularity: Eberhardt is rare worldwide and primarily used in Germany, where it ranked 451st in 2014.
Eichel
Eichel likely began as a Medieval surname taken from a house sign, back when a painted animal, plant or flower over the door told visitors which building they wanted. This one showed an acorn. The related Eichler adds the German suffix -er, which carries the sense of son of. Eichler and Eichen are the near variants worth checking in older German records.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Acorn
- Pronunciation: AY-Kehl
- Variations: Eichler, Eichen
- Namesakes: Jack Eichel, an American ice hockey player for the Vegas Golden Knights. Hans Eichel, Germany’s Minister of Finance, between 1999 and 2005.
- Popularity: Eichel is extremely rare worldwide, with only 36 occurrences in 2014, mostly in the Philippines and the U.S.
Eierkuchen
Eierkuchen is an offbeat “E” surname that stems from the German word for pancake. Berlin-style pancakes go by Eierkuchen rather than Pfannkuchen, so the name carries a regional joke along with breakfast. It is the sort of surname that makes introductions easy and forgetting them impossible.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Pancake
- Pronunciation: AY-ehr-KOO-ken
- Popularity: Eierkuchen is extremely rare worldwide, with only seven occurrences recorded in 2014, all in Germany. It has never been given to enough U.S. babies in a single year to appear in federal birth records, which publish only names reaching at least five births.
Engel
Engel marked a house that carried the sign of an angel, and it also works as a short form of Engelbert or Engelhard, though somewhere along the way it became a nickname for a person with an angelic temperament, the reading most people reach for now. Short, soft and easy on English speakers, it is one of the friendliest names in this list.
- Origin: German, Dutch
- Meaning: Angel
- Pronunciation: EHNG-ihl
- Namesakes: Josef Engel, a Czech wrestler who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics. Natascha Engel, a British Member of Parliament from 2005 to 2017.
- Popularity: Engel is uncommon worldwide and mainly used in Germany, ranking 87th in 2014. As a U.S. first name it ranked 9,994th in 2025.
Faust
Faust comes from the German fust, a fist, and started as a nickname for a strong man or for someone with a hardened hand. The Latin Faustus pulls the other way and means fortunate or lucky, so the name reads as a threat or a blessing depending on which language you are standing in. Literature has kept it dramatic. Christa Faust and Chad Faust have carried it into crime novels and science fiction television.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Fist
- Pronunciation: FOWST
- Variations: Fauste, Fausst, Fausste
- Namesakes: Christa Faust, an American author who won the 2009 Crimespree Award for Money Shot. Chad Faust, a Canadian actor, appearing in the sci-fi TV series The 4400.
- Popularity: Faust is very rare worldwide and primarily used in the U.S., where it’s uncommon. Its last appearance in U.S. birth records as a given name was 4,194th in 1930.
Fischer
Fischer named the man who fished, from the Middle German fisch plus the -er ending that does the same work it does in English. It appears as Fisher once families crossed into English-speaking countries, and it ranked 112th in the United States in 2010. Bobby Fischer made the spelling famous at a chessboard and Hans Fischer took it to a Nobel Prize in chemistry. Few German surnames are this plain and this well known at once.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Fisher
- Pronunciation: FIH-shur
- Variations: Fisher, Ficher
- Namesakes: Bobby Fischer, an American world chess champion between 1972 and 1975. Hans Fischer, a German organic chemist, and winner of the 1930 Nobel Prize for Chemistry.
- Popularity: Fischer ranked 883rd worldwide and is mostly used in Germany, where it ranked 4th in 2014. As a U.S. first name it ranked 2,215th in 2025.
Franke
Franke marks a family from Franconia in central Germany, and it also reads as descendant of Frank. The underlying sense is a free man, someone not bound to another household. It is worn by men and women alike and keeps a proud, uncomplicated ring.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Free man
- Pronunciation: FRANK-iy
- Variations: Frank, Frankk, Frankke, Franck, Francke
- Namesakes: Egon Franke, a Polish fencer and gold medalist at the 1964 Summer Olympics. William B. Franke, the U.S. Secretary of the Navy from 1959 to 1961.
- Popularity: Franke is rare worldwide and mainly used in Germany, ranking 62nd in 2014. U.S. birth records last list it as a given name at 9,908th in 2006.
Friedrich
Friedrich means descendant of Friedrich, built from the Germanic frid for peace and ric, meaning “power.” Peace and power in one name is a neat trick that helped the surname endure in German records, and the most famous early bearer, a ninth-century Christian bishop of Utrecht, is one reason English speakers know it best as Frederick.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Peaceful ruler
- Pronunciation: FRIY-Drihk
- Variations: Friedrichs, Friderich
- Namesakes: István Friedrich, Hungary’s prime minister between August and November 1919. Jörg Friedrich, a German rower and gold medalist at the 1980 Summer Olympics.
- Popularity: Friedrich is uncommon worldwide and primarily used in Germany, where it ranked 54th in 2014. As a U.S. first name it ranked 3,788th in 2025.
Fuchs
Fuchs is the Old German vuhs, a fox. It served as a nickname twice over, for the man everyone called sly and for the one with red hair. The spelling looks harder than it sounds, and once you have heard it said aloud it sticks.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Fox
- Pronunciation: FOOKS
- Variations: Fuechs
- Namesakes: Erika Fuchs, a German translator known for translating American Disney comics. Lars Fuchs, a German footballer and current assistant coach for 1. FC Magdeburg.
- Popularity: Fuchs is extremely rare worldwide and mostly used in the U.S., Germany, and Italy.
Garven
Garven is the Germanic answer to the English Garvin and means one who wields the spear, sharing ground with the given name Gerwin, so it moves between first and last name without much trouble. The meaning is blunt and the sound is not, which is a useful combination.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Spear wielder
- Pronunciation: GAAR-vehn
- Variations: Garvin
- Namesakes: Kate Garven, an Australian actress appearing in the soap opera Home and Away. Pierre Prosper Garven, the Mayor of Bayonne, New Jersey, from 1906 to 1910 and 1915 to 1919.
- Popularity: Garven is extremely rare worldwide and mainly used in the U.S.
Graf
Graf comes from the German grave, a title once used for German nobles, so the name says count or earl outright. That makes it one of the most obviously regal family names that start with G. Steffi Graf spent a record 377 weeks ranked world number one while carrying it, which has done its reputation no harm at all.
- Origin: German, Swiss
- Meaning: Count (title)
- Pronunciation: GRAEF
- Variations: Grafe, Graef, Graff, Graaf
- Namesakes: Steffi Graf, a German tennis player, ranked world No.1 for a record 377 weeks. Alexander Graf, a Uzbekistani chess player and the German Chess Champion in 2004.
- Popularity: Graf is uncommon worldwide, primarily used in Germany, and ranked 41st in Austria in 2014.
Günther
Günther is built from gund for battle and hari for army, a pairing that turns up again and again in old Germanic names, and it also carries the sense of warrior, belonging in Norse tradition to the brother of Kriemhild. The umlaut travels badly, so Gunter, Guenter and Guenther all appear in English records.
- Origin: German, Scandinavian
- Meaning: Battle army
- Pronunciation: GUWN-ter
- Variations: Günter, Guenter, Guenther, Gunter
- Namesakes: John Gunther, an American writer of the best-selling Inside U.S.A. in 1947. Ursula Günther, a German musicologist specializing in the work of Giuseppe Verdi.
- Popularity: Günther is rare worldwide and primarily used in the U.S.
Haas
Haas is the German and Dutch hase, a hare. It went to fast runners and to households that hung a hare or rabbit above the door in the Middle Ages. Lukas Haas has kept it on screen since Witness.
- Origin: German, Dutch
- Meaning: Hare
- Pronunciation: HAHS
- Variations: de Haas
- Namesakes: Lukas Haas, an American actor known for the 1985 film Witness. Walter A. Haas Jr., the American Chairman of Levi Strauss & Co, between 1970 and 1981.
- Popularity: Haas is uncommon worldwide, mainly used in Germany, and ranked 1,001st in the U.S. in 2010.
Haan
Haan and the German Hahn both mean rooster and both worked as house-sign names for a door marked with one, though several places in the Netherlands and Germany carry the name too, so a family might have taken it from a town rather than a bird. It is more at home in the Netherlands than in Germany.
- Origin: German, Dutch
- Meaning: Rooster
- Pronunciation: HAWN
- Variations: Hann, Hanne, Hahn
- Namesakes: Edmond Haan, a French footballer for Strasbourg. Gijsbert Haan, the American founder of the Christian Reformed Church in North America.
- Popularity: Haan is rare worldwide and primarily used in the Netherlands, ranking 326th in 2014.
Handschuh
Handschuh comes from the German hantschuoch, literally hand shoe, which is still the German word for a glove. The surname went to the man who wore them, made them or sold them. It is one of the longer names in this list and one of the easiest to picture.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Hand-glove
- Pronunciation: HAND-Shuh
- Popularity: Handschuh is very rare worldwide and mostly used in Germany. It has never been given to enough U.S. babies in a single year to appear in federal birth records, which publish only names reaching at least five births.
Hartmann
Hartmann means descendant of Hartmann, or simply strong man. The German hart covers hardy and tough, so the name reads as a compliment paid in advance. It is a solid pick among German last names for boys, and the single-n Hartman is just as common. Thom Hartmann has kept it on American radio for decades.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Brave man
- Pronunciation: HART-man
- Variations: Hartman
- Namesakes: Oliver Hartmann, a German musician and a founder of the heavy metal band At Vance. Thom Hartmann, an American radio personality and host of The Thom Hartmann Program since 2003.
- Popularity: Hartmann is uncommon worldwide and mainly used in Germany, where it ranked 24th in 2014.
Heinrich
Heinrich started as a personal name made of heim for home and ric for power, so the ruler in question governs a household rather than a kingdom, and it was the most popular given name in Germany during the Middle Ages before families kept it for good. English turned it into Henry.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Estate ruler
- Pronunciation: HHAYN-Rihk
- Namesakes: Michael Henrich, a Canadian ice hockey player for the Edmonton Oilers. Gabriela Heinrich, a German member of the Bundestag for Bavaria since 2013.
- Popularity: Heinrich is rare worldwide and primarily used in Germany, ranking 79th in 2014. As a U.S. first name it ranked 4,768th in 2025.
Hermann
Hermann began as the personal name Herman, made of heri for army and man for man. Soldier and warrior both sit inside it. The double-r Herrmann is equally correct and equally common, which is worth knowing before you fill out a form.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Army man
- Pronunciation: HEHR-man
- Variations: Herrmann
- Namesakes: Robert Joseph Hermann, an American Roman Catholic auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis from 2002 to 2010. Arnulf Herrmann, a German composer and winner of the Hanns Eisler Composition Prize (2001).
- Popularity: Hermann is rare worldwide and mostly used in Germany, where it ranked 117th in 2014. It has charted as a U.S. given name since 1880 and last appeared at 11,438th in 2024.
Hoffman
Hoffman puts together hof for farmstead and mann for man, and it named the medieval steward who ran a property for its owner. That made him a manager rather than a laborer, a rung up the ladder the name still carries. Hoffmann, Hofmann and Hofman are all in circulation. John T. Hoffman took the American spelling to the governor’s office in New York.
- Origin: German, Jewish
- Meaning: Steward
- Pronunciation: HAWF-man
- Variations: Hoffmann, Hofmann, Hofman
- Namesakes: Brock Hoffman, an American football player for the Dallas Cowboys. John T. Hoffman, the 23rd governor of New York from 1869 to 1872.
- Popularity: Hoffman is uncommon worldwide and mainly used in the U.S., ranking 224th in 2010. U.S. birth records list it as a given name once, at 2,700th in 1912.
Horn
Horn describes land before it describes a person: a horn-shaped spur jutting out from the countryside. It also went to craftsmen who worked in animal horn, and it reads as son of Horn in some families. There is a less flattering use as well, since horn was once slang for a husband whose wife had been unfaithful. Take the geography and leave the gossip.
- Origin: German, Scandinavian
- Meaning: Spur of land
- Pronunciation: HORN
- Variations: Van Horn, Horne
- Namesakes: Gyula Horn, Hungary’s Prime Minister from 1994 to 1998. Kaniehtiio Horn, a Canadian actress appearing in the horror series Hemlock Grove.
- Popularity: Horn is uncommon worldwide, primarily used in the U.S., and ranked 89th in Germany in 2014.
Huber
Huber comes from the German huober, the owner of a patch of farmland. A hube was a specific measure, about 40 acres, so the name marks a family with land of its own rather than a tenant. That distinction mattered enough to become permanent. It sits in the top ten in German-speaking countries.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Unit of land
- Pronunciation: HEW-ber
- Variations: Hueber
- Namesakes: Sophie Huber, a French swimmer who competed at the 2008 Olympics. Chuck Huber, an American voice actor in Dragon Ball Z.
- Popularity: Huber is uncommon worldwide, mostly used in Germany, and ranked 2nd in Austria in 2014. As a U.S. first name it last appeared at 10,284th in 2024.
Jäger
Jäger is the Middle German jeger(e), a huntsman, and it is also a strong Dutch “J” surname, since the same trade crossed the same border. Written without the umlaut it becomes Jaeger, which is how most English records carry it.
- Origin: German, Dutch
- Meaning: Hunter
- Pronunciation: Yey-ger
- Variations: Jaeger, Jæger
- Namesakes: Werner Jäger, an Austrian ice speed skater who competed at the 1984 Winter Olympics. Thomas Jäger, a German racing driver and winner of the German Mini Challenge in 2006.
- Popularity: Jäger is rare worldwide and mainly used in the Netherlands, where it ranked 123rd in 2014.
Jonke
Jonke rests on the Middle German junk, young, and also works as a pet form of Johann, the German John. Short names like this one often started inside a family and stayed there. Jonker is the spelling you are more likely to meet.
- Origin: German, Dutch
- Meaning: Young
- Pronunciation: YONN-keh
- Variations: Jonker
- Namesakes: Ljudevit Jonke, a Croatian linguist who participated in the 1954 Novi Sad agreement to set a standard Serbo-Croatian language. Frank Jonke, a Canadian soccer player for FC Edmonton.
- Popularity: Jonke is very rare worldwide and primarily used in the U.S.
Jung
Jung usually separated the younger of two relatives sharing a name, the German answer to junior, and English does the same job with Young, while the Chinese Chong sits close enough in sound that the name feels at home across several Asian countries. Carl Jung gave it a permanent place in psychology.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Young
- Pronunciation: YOONG
- Namesakes: Carl Jung, a Swiss psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. Sanam Jung, a Pakistani actress appearing in the TV series Dil e Muztar (2013).
- Popularity: Jung ranked 1,623rd worldwide, primarily used in North Korea, and ranked 39th in Germany in 2014. It last appeared as a U.S. given name at 10,014th in 2002.
Kaiser
Kaiser is the German keiser, emperor, the same word English borrowed from Caesar and Russian turned into Tsar. It began as a nickname for someone who carried himself like royalty, whether or not he ruled anything. American parents have taken to it lately: it is the fastest-rising name in this list as a US first name, up about 408 percent on the previous decade of births. As a surname it ranked 1,039th in the United States in 2010.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: King
- Pronunciation: KAHY-zer
- Variations: Kayser, Keiser, Kyser
- Namesakes: Robert G. Kaiser, an American editor with The Washington Post from 1991 to 2014. Stien Kaiser, a Dutch speed skater and bronze medalist at the World Allround Championships in 1965 and 1966.
- Popularity: Kaiser is uncommon worldwide and mainly used in Germany, where it ranked 41st in 2014. As a U.S. first name it ranked 836th in 2025.
Keller
Keller is the German word for a basement, but the person behind it kept the wine. The Latin cellarius looked after the cellar and storage rooms of a household, so the name can point to a winemaker as readily as to a room. It has done well as an American given name too, though it has slipped over the past decade. Thomas Keller and Kasey Keller have carried it into a celebrated kitchen and onto the national soccer team.
- Origin: German, Danish
- Meaning: Cellar
- Pronunciation: KEHL-ehr
- Variations: Keler, Kellere, Kaeller
- Namesakes: Thomas Keller, an American chef whose restaurant The French Laundry ranked in the Top 50 Restaurants of the World. Kasey Keller, an American soccer player and goalkeeper for the U.S. national team.
- Popularity: Keller ranked 1,669th worldwide, is primarily used in the U.S. and ranked 4th in Switzerland in 2014. As a U.S. first name it ranked 2,000th in 2025, trending down over the previous decade of births.
Kitzler
Kitzler may be a German take on Christian, the name that means follower of Christ. The word itself means tickler, which is far more fun to explain at a party. It is one of the hardest names in this list to say with a straight face.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Tickler
- Pronunciation: KIT-sler
- Popularity: Kitzler is very rare worldwide and mostly used in Austria, ranking 830th in 2014. It has never been given to enough U.S. babies in a single year to appear in federal birth records, which publish only names reaching at least five births.
Klein
Klein means small, and it spread well past Germany into the Netherlands and Afrikaans-speaking communities. It is also a common Jewish surname in the United States, where it ranked 392nd in 2010. Anne Klein built a fashion house on it. The Kline spelling shows up wherever English speakers wrote it down by ear.
- Origin: German, Dutch
- Meaning: Small
- Pronunciation: KLAYNE
- Variations: Kleinn, Kleine, Kleinne, Kline
- Namesakes: Anne Klein (born Hannah Golofsky), an American fashion designer and founder of Anne Klein & Company. David Klein, the governor of the Bank of Israel from 2000 to 2005.
- Popularity: Klein ranked 1,157th worldwide and is mainly used in Germany, where it ranked 15th in 2014. As a U.S. first name it ranked 5,506th in 2025.
Koch
Koch traces to the Latin coquus and the art of cookery, and it named the cook, sometimes the one running a nobleman’s kitchen, a position of real trust in a large household. Ed Koch and Robert Koch took it to city hall in New York and to a Nobel Prize in medicine.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Cook, chef
- Pronunciation: KAWKH
- Namesakes: Ed Koch, the mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989. Robert Koch, a German microbiologist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1905.
- Popularity: Koch ranked 1,168th worldwide and is primarily used in Germany, ranked 11th in 2014.
Köhler
Köhler belonged to the charcoal burners, who turned stacks of wood into fuel for smiths and households. It joins the High German kol for coal with the personal ending -er. Written as Koehler it loses the umlaut and none of the meaning. It is a reminder of how much of medieval life ran on a trade almost nobody has watched.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Charcoal burner
- Pronunciation: KOW-lehr
- Variations: Koehler, Koeler, Koeller
- Namesakes: Franz Köhler, an Austrian football manager for the Icelandic national team from 1953 to 1954. Koos Köhler, a Dutch water polo player who competed at the 1928 Summer Olympics.
- Popularity: Köhler is rare worldwide, mostly used in the U.S., and ranked 48th in Switzerland in 2014.
König
König comes from the High German kunic, king. Nobody was handing out crowns, though: the name went to the man who led a guild or played the king in a local festival, and it also carried the sense of a servant of the king. Jörn König carries it in the Bundestag and Alfred König carried it to an Austrian sprint title in 1932.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: King
- Pronunciation: KUW-nig
- Variations: de Koenig, Koenig, Konnig
- Namesakes: Jörn König, a German member of the Bundestag for Lower Saxony since 2017. Alfred König, an Austrian-Turkish sprinter and the Austrian national champion in 1932.
- Popularity: König is rare worldwide and mainly used in Brazil.
Krämer
Krämer named a shopkeeper or trader, from the Middle German kram, a trading post or booth, and in the Middle Ages that usually meant a traveling merchant with a stall of small, bright goods. The double vowel gives it a brisk, market-day sound that still suits the trade behind it.
- Origin: German, Dutch
- Meaning: Shopkeeper
- Pronunciation: KRAY-mehr
- Variations: Kraemer, Kraymer
- Namesakes: Chris Kramer, a Canadian actor appearing in The Collector series. Frank Kramer, an American cyclist inducted into the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame in 1988.
- Popularity: Krämer is rare worldwide and primarily used in Germany, ranking 76th in 2014.
Krause
Krause has two stories. The German kruse meant a pitcher, so the name went to people who made or sold jugs, while krus meant crinkly and marked a family known for its curls. Both readings were in use and there is no tidy way to tell which one a given family started with. Krauss, Krausse and Kraus are the spelling variants most likely to turn up in family records.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Curly
- Pronunciation: KRAWSE
- Variations: Krauss, Krausse, Kraus
- Namesakes: Helga Krause, a German film editor of newsreels from 1953 to 1956. Brian Krause, an American actor known for Charmed (1998 to 2006).
- Popularity: Krause is uncommon worldwide and mostly used in Germany, where it ranked 26th in 2014.
Krüger
Krüger keeps a tavern across most of Germany and turns pots in the center and south, where it means potter. Either way the root is krug, a jug, which covers both the drink and the vessel it arrives in. Franz Krüger painted it into German art history and Louis Krüger carried it into Berlin politics.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Tavern keeper
- Pronunciation: KRUE-ger
- Variations: Krueger
- Namesakes: Franz Krüger, a German-Prussian painter known for his pictures of horses. Louis Krüger, a German politician and the second youngest member of the 19th Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin.
- Popularity: Krüger is uncommon worldwide and mainly used in South Africa, ranking 70th in 2014.
Kuhn
Kuhn shortens Kuno, itself a short form of Konrad, and Kühn means bold, so the name doubles as a nickname for someone with a daring streak. Maggie Kuhn lived up to it by founding the Gray Panthers.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Bold
- Pronunciation: KOON
- Variations: Kuehn, Kuehne
- Namesakes: Maggie Kuhn, an American activist who founded the Gray Panthers movement. Anthony Kuhn, the American National Public Radio correspondent in Seoul, South Korea.
- Popularity: Kuhn is uncommon worldwide, primarily used in Germany, and ranked 86th in Switzerland in 2014.
Lange
Lange predates the seventh century in Germany and means the long, which in practice meant the tall one. It is one of the German “L” family names that started as a plain physical nickname and never needed to be anything more. Jessica Lange and Santiago Lange have carried it to a Triple Crown of Acting and an Olympic gold medal.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Tall
- Pronunciation: LANG
- Variations: Lang
- Namesakes: Jessica Lange, an American actress and the 13th recipient of the Triple Crown of Acting. Santiago Lange, an Argentine sailor and gold medalist at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
- Popularity: Lange is uncommon worldwide and mostly used in Germany, where it ranked 23rd in 2014. U.S. birth records list it as a given name once, at 4,217th in 1965.
Lechtenberg
Lechtenberg looks like an Americanized spelling of the German Lichtenberg, a name several places in Germany and the Netherlands carry, among them a village on the Elbe, so the surname points at a map rather than a trade. Families who left for the United States smoothed the vowels on arrival and the new spelling stuck.
- Origin: German, Dutch
- Meaning: From Lichtenberg
- Pronunciation: LEK-ten-berg
- Variations: Lichtenberg
- Popularity: Lechtenberg is very rare worldwide and mainly used in the U.S.
Lindt
Lindt comes from the German lind, gentle-hearted, and may have grown out of the longer Lindemuth. Most people meet it on a chocolate wrapper, thanks to Rudolf Lindt. The name was soft long before it was sweet.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Tender
- Pronunciation: LIHNT
- Variations: Lint, Lyndt
- Namesakes: Hermann Lindt, a Swiss politician and the ninth mayor of Bern. Rudolf Lindt, a Swiss chocolate maker and founder of the Lindt brand of Swiss chocolate.
- Popularity: Lindt is very rare worldwide and primarily used in Germany.
Ludwig
Ludwig began as a personal name built from hlud for famous and wig for war, and Beethoven made it a given name the whole world can place, though it works just as well as a German family name today. It has never quite left American birth records either.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Famous warrior
- Pronunciation: LEWD-Vihg
- Variations: Lutwig, Ludewig
- Namesakes: Karen Ludwig, a Canadian politician in the House of Commons of Canada from 2015 until 2019. Olaf Ludwig, a German racing cyclist and winner of the 1992 UCI Road World Cup.
- Popularity: Ludwig is uncommon worldwide and mostly used in Germany, ranking 64th in 2014. It has charted as a U.S. given name since 1880 and ranked 7,044th in 2025.
Mandel
Mandel means almond, and it also names places, among them Mandel in Germany. It is a Jewish surname too, carrying the same nutty meaning as its German and Dutch counterparts. Mandl is the shortened spelling still seen in older Central European records.
- Origin: German, Dutch
- Meaning: Almond
- Pronunciation: Man-DELL
- Variations: Mandl
- Namesakes: Howard Mandel, a Canadian-American comedian in the 1984 film Gremlins. Stephen Mandel, the Canadian leader of the Alberta Party from 2018 to 2019.
- Popularity: Mandel is rare worldwide, mainly used in the U.S., and ranked 511th in Estonia in 2014. It last appeared as a U.S. given name at 11,749th in 2011.
Meyer
Meyer comes from the High German mei(g)er, the manager of a lord’s country estate. Over time it slid downhill in status to mean a tenant or free farmer, then uphill again into mayor. It was the 183rd most common surname in the United States in 2010, and as a US given name it is the biggest revival in this list: it peaked in 1913, all but disappeared by the mid 1950s and has climbed back since. Mayer, Maier and Meier are the same name wearing different hats.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Estate manager
- Pronunciation: MAHY-er
- Variations: Mayer, Maier, Meier, Meyr
- Namesakes: Léon Meyer, the French mayor of Le Havre from 1919 to 1941. Nicholas Meyer, an American director known for the 1999 HBO original film Vendetta.
- Popularity: Meyer ranked 719th worldwide and is primarily used in Germany, ranking 6th in 2014. As a U.S. first name it ranked 1,693rd in 2025.
Müller
Müller is the miller and the most common of all German surnames, since every village needed a mill and every mill had a family attached to it. Mueller drops the umlaut in most English records and still ranked 523rd in the United States in 2010.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Miller
- Pronunciation: MUH-ler
- Variations: Mueller
- Namesakes: Dieter Müller, a German footballer for West Germany from 1976 to 1978. Robert Müller, a German ice hockey goaltender in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga from 1998 to 2009.
- Popularity: Müller ranked 1,894th worldwide, is mostly used in Brazil and ranked 2nd in Luxembourg in 2014. It has never been given to enough U.S. babies in a single year to appear in federal birth records, which publish only names reaching at least five births.
Nacht
Nacht comes from the Middle German naht, meaning “night.” It probably began with a night watchman, the man awake while the town slept, and it was used by Jewish families as well. Short, dark and easy to say, it is one of the more atmospheric names here.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Night
- Pronunciation: NAAKT
- Popularity: Nacht is very rare worldwide and mainly used in the U.S.
Nachtnebel
Nachtnebel takes that same nacht and adds fog to it. Compound surnames like this one are among the odder German family names, and this may be the most cinematic of the bunch.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Night fog
- Pronunciation: NAAKT-nay-Behl
- Popularity: Nachtnebel is extremely rare worldwide and primarily used in Austria. It has never been given to enough U.S. babies in a single year to appear in federal birth records, which publish only names reaching at least five births.
Neumann
Neumann was the name for a newcomer, from neu for new and mann for man. It stuck to settlers who had not been in town long enough to be anything else, then outlasted the situation that produced it. Adam Neumann built WeWork under it and Christoph Neumann carries it in the Bundestag today.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: New man
- Pronunciation: NUW-man
- Variations: Neuman, Neumanns
- Namesakes: Adam Neumann, an Israeli billionaire businessman who founded WeWork. Christoph Neumann, a German member of the Bundestag since 2017.
- Popularity: Neumann is uncommon worldwide and mostly used in Germany, where it ranked 18th in 2014.
Ostwald
Ostwald rests on the old personal name Ostold, made of ost for east and walt for rule, and the seventh-century Northumbrian king Oswald carried the same name, which is why it still turns up among strong German last names for boys. English speakers most often meet it as Oswald.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Eastern woods
- Pronunciation: AHST-wahld
- Variations: Oswald
- Popularity: Ostwald is very rare worldwide and mainly used in Germany.
Pfeiffer
Pfeiffer means whistler or fife player, from the German pfeife, a pipe. Musicians of that kind worked fairs, weddings and processions, so the name traveled with them. It is the rarest of the names here that the federal data ranks at all, roughly one in 333,000 babies. Michelle Pfeiffer is the reason most English speakers can spell it.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Piper
- Pronunciation: FAY-fer
- Variations: Pfeifer, Pfeyffer, Pfeyfer
- Namesakes: Michelle Pfeiffer, an American actress given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007. Darrin Pfeiffer, an American musician, and drummer with Goldfinger.
- Popularity: Pfeiffer is rare worldwide, primarily used in Germany, and ranked 106th in Austria in 2014. As a U.S. first name it ranked 16,682nd in 2025.
Pohl
Pohl means the man who lived at or near the pool, from the Middle German pol for muddy wetland. Several places in Germany carry the name for the same reason. Pohle and Poehl are the variants you are most likely to meet.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Muddy pool
- Pronunciation: POL
- Variations: Pohle, Poehl
- Namesakes: Robert Wichard Pohl, a German physicist called the “father of solid state physics.” Richard Pohl, a German music critic prominent in the War of the Romantics who advocated the “Music of the Future.”
- Popularity: Pohl is rare worldwide and mostly used in Germany, ranking 91st in 2014.
Reuter
Reuter comes from the German (ge)riute, a clearing. It could mean a family living in one or a man who cleared woodland for a living, which was steady work in a country this forested. There is a rougher reading too, since Reuter also served as a nickname for a highwayman or a mounted soldier. Paul Reuter founded the news agency that still carries the name.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Woodland clearing
- Pronunciation: ROY-ter
- Variations: Reuters, Reutter
- Namesakes: Manuel Reuter, a German race car driver and winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1989 and 1996. Paul Reuter (born Israel Josaphat), the German-British founder of the Reuters news agency.
- Popularity: Reuter is rare worldwide, mainly used in Germany, and ranked 14th in Luxembourg in 2014.
Richter
Richter named the arbiter or judge, from the German rihten, to make right, and it is one of the more distinguished occupational surnames in Germany, gaining ground lately as an American given name too. Mike Richter added a Stanley Cup to the record in 1994.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Judge
- Pronunciation: RIK-ter
- Namesakes: Mike Richter, an American ice hockey goaltender with the Stanley Cup-winning New York Rangers in 1994. Stacey Richter, an American writer, and winner of the National Magazine Award.
- Popularity: Richter ranked 1,728th worldwide and is primarily used in Germany, ranking 12th in 2014. As a U.S. first name it ranked 7,568th in 2025, rising over the previous decade of births.
Rinner
Rinner uses the German rinne, a water pipe or channel. The name went either to the family living beside one or to the person who built them, and in hill country that was skilled work. Claudine Rinner carried it to an Edgar Wilson Award for amateur astronomy.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Water channel
- Pronunciation: RINN-ur
- Variations: Renner
- Namesakes: Claudine Rinner, a French amateur astronomer and winner of the Edgar Wilson Award.
- Popularity: Rinner is very rare worldwide and mostly used in Austria, where it ranked 700th in 2014.
Roth
Roth is a nickname for a red-haired person, from rot for red, though it can also rest on rod for wood or the German hrod, meaning fame, so three separate stories arrive at the same four letters. Rothe is the closest variant spelling, differing by a single silent e.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Red, wood
- Pronunciation: RAWTH
- Variations: Rothe
- Namesakes: Eli Roth, an American filmmaker who directed Hostel (2005). Philip Roth, an American novelist and winner of the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction.
- Popularity: Roth is uncommon worldwide, mainly used in Germany, and ranked 20th in Switzerland in 2014. It last appeared as a U.S. given name at 11,909th in 2010.
Salzberg
Salzberg joins salz for salt with berc for mountain hill, and it ties a family to places like Salzburg. Salt was worth guarding, so a salt hill usually came with a fortress attached, and the name carries that sense of a salt stronghold. Sharon Salzberg and Barry Salzberg have taken it into meditation writing and global accounting.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Salt hill
- Pronunciation: SAWLS-burg
- Variations: Salzburg, Saltzberg
- Namesakes: Barry Salzberg, the American CEO of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited from 2011 to 2015. Sharon Salzberg, an American New York Times author of Real Happiness – The Power of Meditation (2010).
- Popularity: Salzberg is very rare worldwide and primarily used in the U.S.
Sauer
Sauer is the German word for sour and started as a nickname for someone who never seemed pleased about anything, though it also names the Sauer River in North Rhine-Westphalia, so a family might have taken it from the water rather than a mood. The kinder reading is there if you want it.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Sour
- Pronunciation: SOW-ehr
- Variations: Sauers
- Namesakes: Frank Sauer, a Canadian soccer player for the New York Cosmos. Stefan Sauer, a German member of the Bundestag for Hesse from 2017 to 2019.
- Popularity: Sauer is rare worldwide and mostly used in Germany, ranking 102nd in 2014.
Schafer
Schafer is a German variant of Schaffer, from shaffen for steward or bailiff, though most families who carry it descend from shepherds in the field. Shepherding was constant, unglamorous work and the surname spread accordingly. Schaeffer, Schaffer, Shaffer and Shafer are the same name after a few border crossings.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Shepherd
- Pronunciation: SHAY-fer
- Variations: Schaeffer, Schaffer, Shaffer, Shafer
- Namesakes: Avi Schafer, a Japanese basketball player for SeaHorses Mikawa of the B. League. Eric Schafer, an American mixed martial artist with the UFC from 1997 to 2016.
- Popularity: Schafer is rare worldwide, primarily used in the U.S., and ranked 955th in Switzerland in 2014. As a U.S. first name it last appeared at 9,541st in 2021.
Schmidt
Schmidt is the German Smith, from schmied, a metalworker, and every settlement needed one, which is why it sits among the most common surnames in Germany and still ranked 185th in the United States in 2010. The name says heat, iron and constant demand.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Blacksmith
- Pronunciation: SHMIHT
- Namesakes: Hans-Thilo Schmidt, a German spy who sold information to the French in the 1930s. Olle Schmidt, a Swedish Member of the European Parliament between 2006 and 2014.
- Popularity: Schmidt ranked 486th worldwide and is mainly used in Germany, where it ranked 2nd in 2014. It has never been given to enough U.S. babies in a single year to appear in federal birth records, which publish only names reaching at least five births.
Schneider
Schneider derives from the German schneiden, to cut, and it named the tailor. It originated in the Palatinate as the name of one of the medieval noble families before it spread through every trade street in the country. Schnyder and Shneider are the spellings that show how far the sound traveled across borders.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Tailor
- Pronunciation: SHNAEY-der
- Variations: Schnieder, Schnyder, Shneider
- Namesakes: Andrew Schneider, an American journalist and winner of the 1986 and 1987 Pulitzer Prizes while working for the Pittsburgh Press. Bert Schneider, an American film producer known for Easy Rider (1969).
- Popularity: Schneider ranked 716th worldwide and is primarily used in Germany, ranking 3rd in 2014. As a U.S. first name it ranked 7,115th in 2025.
Schreiber
Schreiber rests on the High German schriben, to write, and named the clerk or scribe. It matches the Hebrew Soffer, which carries the same job description, and the surname is found in German and Jewish families alike. Literacy was rare enough that writing on other people’s behalf was a career.
- Origin: German, Jewish
- Meaning: Clerk
- Pronunciation: SHRAEY-Behr
- Variations: Schreyber, Shriber, Shreyber
- Namesakes: Pablo Schreiber, a Canadian-American actor appearing on The Wire (2003). Walther Schreiber, the mayor of West Berlin from 1953 to 1955.
- Popularity: Schreiber is rare worldwide and mostly used in Germany, where it ranked 84th in 2014.
Schroeder
Schroeder began with the tailor who cut cloth, and in northern Germany it also meant a drayman, the man who delivered beer and wine by cart. Two useful trades, one surname. Schröder is the German spelling and Schroder the flattened one.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Tailor
- Pronunciation: SHROW-der
- Variations: Schroder, Schröder
- Namesakes: Karl Schroeder, a Canadian author and winner of the 2003 Prix Aurora Award for the best Canadian sci-fi novel. Dorsey Schroeder, an American race car driver and the Race Director for the Pirelli World Challenge series since 2015.
- Popularity: Schroeder is uncommon worldwide and mainly used in the U.S., ranking 489th in 2010.
Schubert
Schubert put together the High German schuoch for shoe and wurhte for maker, so the first Schuberts were cobblers. The composer has long since overshadowed the shoes. It remains a strongly German name: in 2014 almost 75 percent of Schuberts lived in Germany.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Shoemaker
- Pronunciation: SHOO-Bert
- Namesakes: Samantha Schubert, a Malaysian actress, and Miss Malaysia World 1991. Kort Schubert, an American rugby union footballer, and captain of the U.S. national team.
- Popularity: Schubert is uncommon worldwide and primarily used in Germany, where it ranked 53rd in 2014.
Schulte
Schulte comes from the Middle German schulthete, the village headman. In northwestern Germany it settled into the steward of a large farm, which meant running someone else’s land and answering for it. The name is old enough to have crossed several territories before they were all called Germany.
- Origin: German, Dutch
- Meaning: Steward, sheriff
- Pronunciation: SHOOLT
- Namesakes: Paxton Schulte, a Canadian ice hockey player with the Calgary Flames. Ursula Schulte, a German member of the Bundestag for North Rhine-Westphalia from 2013 to 2021.
- Popularity: Schulte is rare worldwide and mostly used in Germany, ranking 80th in 2014.
Schulz
Schulz also means head of a village and first appeared as schultheize, the official who collected the dues owed to the lord of the manor. The nearest modern equivalent is a mayor holding a sheriff’s paperwork. Schultz and Schulze are the same name with different endings. Bruno Schulz gave it a permanent place in Polish literature.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Bailiff
- Pronunciation: SHOOLTZ
- Variations: Schultz, Schulze
- Namesakes: Bruno Schulz, a Polish writer awarded the Polish Academy of Literature’s Golden Laurel award in 1938. Patrick Schulz, a West German wrestler for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).
- Popularity: Schulz ranked 1,530th worldwide and is mainly used in Germany, where it ranked 9th in 2014.
Schumacher
Schumacher spells the trade out: schuoch for shoe and machen for to make. It is the longer, more formal cousin of Schuster, and it also appears as a surname in Sweden and Denmark. Schuhmacher, with the h, is the older spelling.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Shoemaker
- Pronunciation: SHOO-mah-Kur
- Variations: Schuhmacher
- Namesakes: Irma Heijting-Schuhmacher, a Dutch freestyle swimmer and gold medalist at the 1950 European Championships. Troy Schumacher, an American choreographer and a soloist in the New York City Ballet.
- Popularity: Schumacher is uncommon worldwide, primarily used in Germany, and ranked 38th in 2014.
Schuster
Schuster is the other German name for a shoemaker, built from schuoch for shoe and sutare for one who sews. It may also connect to schussel, a small wooden bowl, which is the stranger and less likely path. M. Lincoln Schuster put the spelling on the spine of a publishing house that still carries it.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Shoemaker
- Pronunciation: SHOOS-Ter
- Namesakes: M. Lincoln Schuster, the American co-founder of the publishing company Simon & Schuster. Alon Schuster, the Israeli Deputy Minister of Defense since 2021.
- Popularity: Schuster is uncommon worldwide, mostly used in Germany, and ranked 10th in Austria in 2014.
Schwarz
Schwarz means black and began as a nickname for dark hair, a dark complexion or dark clothing. It reaches well past Germany into Slovakia, Poland, Croatia, Slovenia and the Czech Republic. Schwartz, with the t, is the spelling most American families use.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Black
- Pronunciation: SHWARZ
- Variations: Schwartz
- Namesakes: Jessica Schwarz, a German actress appearing in the film Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. Berthold Schwarz, a 14th-century German alchemist who invented gunpowder.
- Popularity: Schwarz is uncommon worldwide, mainly used in Germany, and ranked 19th in Germany and Austria in 2014.
Seidel
Seidel reads as descendant of Sitto, a pet form of Sigebert, which means bright. It may also point to a lost German place called Seide, and it names the maker of wooden drinking vessels, which is why the word now means a beer mug. Three origins, one comfortable sound. Seidl and Seydel are the shorter spellings.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Beer mug
- Pronunciation: SAEY-Dehl
- Variations: Seidell, Seidl, Seydel
- Namesakes: Guenter Seidel, a German-American equestrian and bronze medalist at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Christiane Seidel, a German-Danish-American actress known for the HBO series Boardwalk Empire.
- Popularity: Seidel is rare worldwide and mostly used in Germany, ranking 83rd in 2014.
Sommer
Sommer means summer and often went to a baby born in it. It also reads as son of Summer, and the Middle German somere gives it a second sense of pack animal. Of all the names here it has faded the fastest as a US given name, down about 37 percent on the previous decade of births.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Summer
- Pronunciation: SUM-ehr
- Variations: Sommers, Somer, Somers
- Namesakes: Bert Sommer, an American folk singer/songwriter appearing in the musical Hair. Coleen Sommer, an American high jumper who competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics.
- Popularity: Sommer is uncommon worldwide and mainly used in Germany, where it ranked 75th in 2014. As a U.S. first name it ranked 4,972nd in 2025.
Stein
Stein means stone, and it went to families living on stony ground or beside a stone boundary marker or monument. The sound is as immovable as the sense. Rick Stein and Ben Stein have taken it into restaurants and television.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Stone
- Pronunciation: STAEYN
- Variations: Steine
- Namesakes: Rick Stein, an English chef and TV presenter who ran the Stein restaurant business in the UK. Ben Stein, an American actor and host of Win Ben Stein’s Money.
- Popularity: Stein is uncommon worldwide and primarily used in Germany, ranking 73rd in 2014. It last appeared as a U.S. given name at 12,074th in 2012.
Trapp
Trapp comes from the High German trappe, a naive person, and served as a nickname for a simpleton, which is a rough thing to inherit. It also distinguished a family known as de Trap, and if the root is treppe it means a flight of stairs instead. Maria von Trapp made the name famous for singing rather than stumbling.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Rogue
- Pronunciation: TRAEP
- Variations: Trap, Trappe
- Namesakes: John Q. Trapp, an American basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers. Maria von Trapp, an Austria-Hungarian member of the Trapp Family Singers who inspired The Sound of Music.
- Popularity: Trapp is rare worldwide and mostly used in Germany, where it ranked 731st in 2014. U.S. birth records list it as a given name once, at 13,888th in 2014.
Trinkenschuh
Trinkenschuh means drink-shoe, which sounds like a dare and probably was. The likeliest connection is the giant beer boot that still makes the rounds at Oktoberfest. It is one of the most cheerful surnames on this list and one of the rarest.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Beer-shoe
- Pronunciation: TRINK-ehn-Shoo
- Popularity: Trinkenschuh is extremely rare worldwide, with only 58 occurrences in 2014, all in Germany. It has never been given to enough U.S. babies in a single year to appear in federal birth records, which publish only names reaching at least five births.
Vasel
Vasel is the German form of Fasel, and it turns Norman French when read as vassal. It also carries the sense of a young nobleman, so the name promises bravery without much fuss. Vassel is the alternate spelling.
- Origin: German, French
- Meaning: Valiant
- Pronunciation: VAH-sel
- Variations: Vassel
- Popularity: Vasel is very rare worldwide and mainly used in Nepal, ranking 166th in 2014.
Von Bülow
The noble Von Bülow family came out of the Mecklenburg region, and the von at the front simply means of or from, marking a place or a house. The name itself describes someone living on or near a hill. Hans von Bülow conducted Beethoven and Claus von Bülow became the subject of Reversal of Fortune, so the family has been famous twice over for very different reasons.
- Origin: German, Danish
- Meaning: Near a hill
- Pronunciation: Van-BUW-loh
- Variations: Von Bulow, Bülow
- Namesakes: Claus von Bülow (born Claus Borberg), a Danish-British lawyer convicted of the attempted murder of his wife, Sunny von Bülow. Hans von Bülow, a German conductor, known for playing the works of Ludwig van Beethoven.
- Popularity: Von Bülow is extremely rare worldwide, with only 99 occurrences in 2014, primarily in the U.S. and Brazil.
Vormelker
Vormelker is an odd one, meaning pre-milker, from the German melker for milker. The job was probably preparing the cow before the real milking began. Somebody had to do it, and their descendants have been explaining the name ever since.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Pre-milker
- Pronunciation: VOHR-melk-ehr
- Popularity: Vormelker is very rare worldwide and mostly used in Germany. It has never been given to enough U.S. babies in a single year to appear in federal birth records, which publish only names reaching at least five births.
Wagner
Wagner comes from the German Waganari, a wagonmaker, and it also reads as cartwright or wainman. Wheels were the infrastructure of the medieval economy, so the trade was everywhere and so is the name: it ranked 173rd in the United States in 2010. Richard Wagner made it operatic.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Wagon driver
- Pronunciation: VAAG-nehr
- Variations: Wagoner, Waggner
- Namesakes: Richard Wagner, a German composer best known for the Ride of the Valkyries. Ben Wagner, an American sportscaster and radio announcer for the Toronto Blue Jays.
- Popularity: Wagner ranked 835th worldwide, is mainly used in Germany, and ranked 4th in Austria in 2014. As a U.S. first name it ranked 8,212th in 2025.
Walberg
Walberg joins wald for rule with burg for fortress, and it also refers to a place called Wallberg. Old Norse gives it a second reading as falcon hill or falcon mountain, which is the more picturesque of the two. Wahlberg is the spelling most Americans know.
- Origin: German, Scandinavian
- Meaning: Ruling fortress
- Pronunciation: VAHL-berg
- Variations: Wahlberg, Wahlburg, Walburg
- Namesakes: Timothy Walberg, a U.S. representative from Michigan’s 5th congressional district since 2023. Vicki-Lee Walberg, a British actress crowned Miss United Kingdom 1997.
- Popularity: Walberg is very rare worldwide and primarily used in the U.S.
Walter
Walter is based on the High German Walthari, made of wald for power and hari for army. It also meant son of Walter once families began keeping the given name for good. It is far and away the most popular name in this list in American birth records, ranking 252nd in 2025 after topping out at 10th in 1914. That is a long career for any name.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Commander of the army
- Pronunciation: VAAL-ter
- Variations: Walters, Waltere
- Namesakes: Ryan Walter, a Canadian ice hockey head coach of the Canadian National Women’s hockey team. Harriet Walter, a British actress who won the Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Revival in 1988.
- Popularity: Walter ranked 1,998th worldwide and is mostly used in Germany, where it ranked 38th in 2014. As a U.S. first name it ranked 252nd in 2025, after peaking at 10th in 1914.
Weber
Weber is the weaver, from weben, to weave. Cloth was made at home and sold at market, so weaving supported entire villages and produced a surname to match. Webber is the English spelling. The stress falls on the first syllable in both German and English, unlike many surnames that soften on the way across.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Weaver
- Pronunciation: VEH-Ber
- Variations: Webber, Webere
- Namesakes: Billy Weber, an American film editor who worked on Days of Heaven (1978). Ken Weber, a Rhode Island journalist for the Providence Journal from 1971 until 1996.
- Popularity: Weber ranked 838th worldwide, is mainly used in Germany, and ranked 3rd in Luxembourg in 2014. It last appeared as a U.S. given name at 13,943rd in 2020.
Weiss
Weiss comes from the High German wiz, meaning “white” and bright. It began as a nickname for a person with white hair or a very pale complexion, and it ranked 587th in the United States in 2010. German and Jewish families carry it alike, and Weis and Weisz are equally correct.
- Origin: German, Jewish
- Meaning: White, bright
- Pronunciation: VICE
- Variations: Weis, Weisz
- Namesakes: George David Weiss, an American songwriter, and president of the Songwriters Guild of America. Jim Weiss, an American children’s author known for his audiobooks of Shakespeare.
- Popularity: Weiss is uncommon worldwide, primarily used in the U.S., and ranked 20th in Israel in 2014.
Werner
Werner also means “the defending warrior.” It started as a medieval given name for boys, built from the German warin for watchful and heri for army, which makes the defense sound more like a night watch than a battle. Warner is the English form. Alfred Werner took it to a Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1913.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Defender
- Pronunciation: VEHR-ner
- Variations: Warner, Verner
- Namesakes: Alfred Werner, a Swiss chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1913. Pierre Werner, the 18th Prime Minister of Luxembourg from 1979 to 1984.
- Popularity: Werner is uncommon worldwide and mostly used in Germany, ranking 31st in 2014. It has charted as a U.S. given name since 1889 and ranked 8,214th in 2025.
Wolf
Wolf is one of many German compound names built on the animal, and on its own it may have marked a house with the sign of a wolf. It also reads as son of Wolf, from the given name Wolfgang. American parents have warmed to it lately, and as a US given name it has been rising over the previous decade of births. Wolfe, Wolff and Woolf are the same name with more letters.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Wolf (animal)
- Pronunciation: VOLF
- Variations: Wolfe, Wolff, Woolf, Woolfe
- Namesakes: Dick Wolf, an American producer best known for the Law & Order TV franchise.
- Popularity: Wolf ranked 1,487th worldwide and is mainly used in Germany, where it ranked 16th in 2014. As a U.S. first name it ranked 1,902nd in 2025.
Zeller
Zeller named a family living near Zell, and it doubles as an occupational name from zelle, a small workshop. There is a colder reading, since zelle also gives the word for a cell, as in a prison cell. Zellers, Zell and Zellner all descend from the same root.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: From Zell
- Pronunciation: ZEH-ler
- Variations: Zellers, Zell, Zelle, Zellner
- Namesakes: Walter Zeller, a German Grand Prix motorcycle road racer for the BMW factory racing team. Adrien Zeller, State Secretary of Social Security in France from 1986 to 1988.
- Popularity: Zeller is rare worldwide, primarily used in Germany, and ranked 238th in Switzerland in 2014.
Ziegler
Ziegler named the tiler, from the High German ziegel for roof tile, while ziegelbrenner covered the brick maker. Southwest Germany, with its long Roman building tradition, is where the name is most at home. Zigler and Zeigler are the simplified spellings. Mackenzie Ziegler has kept it on American television.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Brick-layer
- Pronunciation: ZEE-gler
- Variations: Zigler, Zeigler
- Namesakes: Mackenzie Ziegler, an American singer on the Lifetime reality dance series Dance Moms. Reto Ziegler, a Swiss footballer for FC Lugano.
- Popularity: Ziegler is uncommon worldwide and mostly used in Germany, ranking 88th in 2014.
Zimmermann
Zimmermann is the carpenter, from zimber for timber wood and man for the man who worked it. It ranks among the 20 most popular surnames in Germany, which says something about how much of the country was built from wood. Zimmerman, with one n, is the American spelling. Ethel Merman was born Ethel Zimmermann.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Carpenter
- Pronunciation: ZIH-mehr-Man
- Variations: Zimmerman, Zimmer, Zimerman
- Namesakes: Joseph Zimmermann, an American inventor of the first answering machine. Ethel Merman (born Ethel Zimmermann), an American actress and singer, appearing in Hello, Dolly!
- Popularity: Zimmermann is uncommon worldwide, mainly used in Germany, and ranked 16th in Switzerland in 2014.
