142 German Baby Names for Boys and Girls

If you have German heritage, a family name may be a natural place to start. You might also be drawn to names such as Friedrich, Greta, or Otto, even if they are new to your family.

This list brings together names used in Germany, names with Germanic roots, and a few surname-inspired options. Browse the boy and girl names below, or jump to the middle names to try out combinations.

Naming Traditions in Germany

Germany’s baby name lists include names from several languages and naming traditions.¹ Children may receive one given name or several. In name researcher Knud Bielefeld’s 2025 sample, 63% had one given name and 34% had two.²

German Boy Names

23 Familiar German Boy Names

1. Anton

2. Arthur

3. Bruno

4. Elias

5. Emilio

6. Felix

7. Finn

8. Hannes

9. Henry

10. Jakob

11. Karl

12. Kilian

13. Konstantin

14. Linus

15. Lukas

16. Mats

17. Maxim

18. Noah

19. Oskar

20. Paul

21. Philipp

22. Theodor

23. Valentin

12 Distinctive German Boy Names

Adler, Brenner, and Kiefer are surname-inspired options, rather than traditional German given names.

1. Adler

2. Barnard

3. Benedikt

4. Brenner

5. Fritz

6. Gunther

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7. Hugo

8. Kiefer

9. Leon

10. Leopold

11. Niklas

12. Otto

12 Traditional German Boy Names

1. Arnold

2. Christoph

3. Florian

4. Friedrich

5. Gustav

6. Heinrich

7. Johannes

8. Manfred

9. Matthias

10. Raphael

11. Sigmund

12. Wolfgang

German Girl Names

22 Familiar German Girl Names

1. Anastasia

2. Anna

3. Clara

4. Emilia

5. Emma

6. Frieda

7. Hannah

8. Helena

9. Ida

10. Johanna

11. Josephine

12. Layla

13. Leni

14. Lina

15. Lotte

16. Marlene

17. Nele

18. Marie

19. Pauline

20. Romy

21. Sophia

22. Tilda

15 Distinctive German Girl Names

1. Annalise

2. Aurelia

3. Belle

4. Carla

5. Etta

6. Franka

7. Freya

8. Gisela

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9. Greta

10. Juna

11. Lisbet

12. Maja

13. Noa

14. Odilia

15. Rosalie

23 Traditional German Girl Names

1. Adele

2. Alice

3. Bernadette

4. Elsa

5. Emmeline

6. Gertrude

7. Gesine

8. Gretchen

9. Heidi

10. Helga

11. Ingrid

12. Isolde

13. Jocelyn

14. Lorelei

15. Martha

16. Matilda

17. Maude

18. Nadine

19. Odetta

20. Rafaella

21. Rosamund

22. Sabine

23. Ursula

German Middle Names

A German middle name can be a way to include a family name when you have already chosen a first name. In Knud Bielefeld’s 2025 data, Alexander and Maximilian led the boys’ second-name list, while Sophie, Marie, and Maria led the girls’ list.²

Try saying your favorite combinations aloud with your last name. For example, you could pair Clara with Sophie or Felix with Alexander.

17 German Middle Names for Boys

1. Alexander

2. Anselm

3. Baldwin

4. Boris

5. Clemens

6. Gerd

7. Hubert

8. Ivon

9. Johann

10. Josef

11. Klaus

12. Leo

13. Maximilian

14. Meinhardt

15. Otis

16. Tibalt

17. Ulrich

18 German Middle Names for Girls

1. Agathe

2. Charlotte

3. Delia

4. Elisabeth

5. Herta

6. Karoline

7. Katharina

8. Lisette

9. Luise

10. Maria

11. Millicent

12. Nadja

13. Roslyn

14. Sophie

15. Trudy

16. Winifreda

17. Yvette

18. Yvonne

You may have found a familiar name on this list or one you hadn’t considered before. Keep a few favorites on your shortlist, and revisit any names that have a connection to your family. You don’t have to settle on one right away.

If you’d like to explore more name ideas, take a look at our origin-based lists like Scandinavian baby names, Irish baby names, and Hebrew baby names. You can also browse our Baby Names Hub for even more inspiration across cultures and styles.