1.9 German first names
We have met a number of German first names in this chapter. But which are the ones that we are most likely to meet in everyday life? In 1997, sixteen researchers at the "Kulturbox" in Berlin collated the frequency of first names in the Berlin telephone directory. Click here to see the full list. The top twenty male and female names from their survey are listed below:
1997 Berlin phone book: most frequent names |
|
Male |
Female |
|
|
Male |
Female |
1. |
Hans |
Ursula |
|
11. |
Gerhard |
Gerda |
2. |
Peter |
Hildegard |
|
12. |
Joachim |
Sabine |
3. |
Wolfgang |
Gertrud |
|
13. |
Werner |
Ingrid |
4. |
Heinz |
Helga |
|
14. |
Manfred |
Erika |
5. |
Klaus |
Renata |
|
15. |
Andreas |
Karin |
6. |
Horst |
Margarete |
|
16. |
Thomas |
Ingeborg |
7. |
Jürgen |
Monika |
|
17. |
Bernd |
Petra |
8. |
Dieter |
Brigitte |
|
18. |
Karl |
Gabriele |
9. |
Günter |
Charlotte |
|
19. |
Frank |
Erna |
10. |
Michael |
Gisela |
|
20. |
Kurt |
Elisabeth |
|
These are probably names which the outsider would recognise as "typically German". Yet recent years have seen parents choosing quite different names for their children. According to the German Language Society (GfdS), the ten names most commonly given to babies in 2006 and 2007 were as follows:
The most popular names given to German babies |
2007 |
Boys |
Girls |
|
2006 |
Boys |
Girls |
1. |
Leon |
Marie |
|
1. |
Leon |
Marie |
2. |
Maximilian |
Sophie |
|
2. |
Maximilian |
Sophie |
3. |
Alexander |
Maria |
|
3. |
Alexander |
Maria |
4. |
Paul |
Anna/e |
|
4. |
Lukas |
Anna/e |
5. |
Luca |
Leonie |
|
5. |
Paul |
Leonie |
6. |
Lukas |
Lea |
|
6. |
Luca |
Lena |
7. |
Felix |
Johanna |
|
7. |
Tim |
Emily |
8. |
Elias |
Charlotte |
|
8. |
Felix |
Johanna |
9. |
David |
Hanna(h) |
|
9. |
David |
Laura |
10. |
Jonas |
Sophia |
|
10. |
Elias |
Lea(h) |
|
Trends
It is true to say that fewer traditional or religious names are chosen now than at the start of the century. In an ongoing survey carried out by the German magazine Familie Online for example, 42% of parents stated that they chose the name of the offspring "because they liked it", and 21% "because it was an unusual name". Names are indeed becoming more individual. The nineties witnessed the birth of children named Fritzi-Bo, Sammy-Joy,
and Dana-Fee.
Whilst only 9% of parents surveyed chose the name of their baby because of biblical connotations, it is clear from the above list that biblical names are by no means dying out - in the mid-1990's they even experienced a renaissance, as evidenced by Boris Becker calling his son Noah. German parents are also increasingly drawing on a broader range of cultures and backgrounds when naming their children. Italian names are becoming ever more popular, especially girls' names such as Chiara and Gina.
Regional variations within Germany
In South Germany it is more common to find children with two or three first names (such as Franz Josef). In the former East Germany (GDR), parents still tend to give their sons shorter names such as Tim or Tom than those in the West. For girls, the name Michelle is much more common in the East than in the West. Here is the list of the most popular names given to children born in 1996 in Eastern and Western Germany: (Source: Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache e.V. (GfdS))
1996: Names given to babies in West and East Germany |
West |
Boys |
Girls |
|
East |
Boys |
Girls |
1. |
Alexander |
Maria |
|
1. |
Maximilian |
Maria |
2. |
Lukas |
Julia |
|
2. |
Lukas |
Lisa |
3. |
Maximilian |
Katharina |
|
3. |
Philipp |
Laura |
4. |
Daniel |
Anna/e |
|
4. |
Florian |
Anna/e |
5. |
Michael |
Laura |
|
5. |
Kevin |
Sophia |
6. |
Christian |
Marie |
|
6. |
Max |
Julia |
7. |
Philipp |
Sophie |
|
7. |
Felix |
Sara(h) |
8. |
Marcel |
Lisa |
|
8. |
Paul |
Michelle |
9. |
Jan |
Sara(h) |
|
9. |
Tom |
Vanessa |
10. |
Tobias |
Lena |
|
10. |
Erik |
Jessica |
|
Austria
According to Statistik Austria, the top 20 most popular names given to babies in 2006 are listed below. Lukas has now been the most popular boys' name in Austria since 1996 and a total 1,131 Austrian boys were given this name in 2006. This year marks the first time however that Lena has become the most popular girls' name. It only entered the top ten of names in 1999 and has since gradually become more popular among Austrian parents. Click here for a fuller table that gives you the top 60 names for both genders.
2006: Names given to babies in Austria |
|
Boys |
Girls |
|
|
Boys |
Girls |
1. |
Lukas |
Lena |
|
11. |
Felix |
Lea |
2. |
Tobias |
Leonie |
|
12. |
Jakob |
Lara |
3. |
David |
Sarah |
|
13. |
Elias |
Viktoria |
4. |
Florian |
Anna |
|
14. |
Philipp |
Selina |
5. |
Simon |
Julia |
|
15. |
Daniel |
Vanessa |
6. |
Maximilian |
Katharina |
|
16. |
Jonas |
Sophia |
7. |
Fabian |
Hannah |
|
17. |
Paul |
Elena |
8. |
Alexander |
Sophie |
|
18. |
Michael |
Nina |
9. |
Sebastian |
Laura |
|
19. |
Matthias |
Johanna |
10. |
Julian |
Lisa |
|
20. |
Nico |
Magdalena |
|
Switzerland
The top 20 names given to babies born in the German-speaking region of Switzerland (die Deutschschweiz) in 2006 are listed below. Anna replaced Leonie as the most popular name given to baby girls. Luca, which had been the most popular boys' name in German-speaking Switzerland from 1997-2004, regained its position at the top of the list of male names from David.
2006: Names given to babies in Switzerland |
|
Boys |
Girls |
|
|
Boys |
Girls |
1. |
Luca |
Anna |
|
11. |
Lukas |
Elena |
2. |
Noah |
Lena |
|
12. |
Jakob |
Sarah |
3. |
Leon |
Lara |
|
13. |
Leandro |
Chiara |
4. |
David |
Laura |
|
14. |
Fabian |
Mia |
5. |
Joël |
Léonie |
|
15. |
Robin |
Jana |
6. |
Jan |
Julia |
|
16. |
Gian |
Selina |
7. |
Simon |
Lea |
|
17. |
Dario |
Vanessa |
8. |
Tim |
Sara |
|
18. |
Fabio |
Alessia |
9. |
Nico |
Nina |
|
19. |
Janis |
Jessica |
10. |
Jonas |
Alina |
|
20. |
Julian |
Michelle |
|
The difference between the various language groupings in Switzerland is quite pronounced. In the French-speaking areas, Léa regained its position in 2006 as the most popular name given to baby girls from Laura, whereas Samuel, Noah and Nathan were the most popular names given to male babies. In the Ticino, the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland, Luca and Alessandro were the joint most popular names given to baby boys in 2006; Sofia, Giulia and Giada were the most popular names given to girls in the Italian-speaking area. In the Rumantsch-speaking regions, Nico and Anna topped their respective lists in 2006. Click here for further information on the names given to Swiss children between 2004 and 2006.
Test yourself!
You can test yourself on German first names by clicking on the bar below:
Chapter 1.10: Spelling German names
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