One of the most exciting parts of pregnancy is choosing your baby’s name! If you are expecting and considering a German name, you’re in the right place! There are many wonderful German Girl Names and German Boy names to choose from.

Many parents choose to honor their family heritage with their baby’s name. Do you or your partner have any German roots? (I happen to have German ancestry on both sides of my family. My paternal grandmother’s name was Louise, and I named my youngest daughter Charlotte. Both are on this list!)

There are many classic German names with powerful meanings to choose from.

German Names for Your Baby

German Girl Names

Are you a ballet fan? You might like Clara, the heroine’s name in The Nutcracker, which means “bright or clear.”

Classic literature enthusiast? You might like Charlotte, meaning “free man,” like Jane Eyre author Charlotte Brontë. Or you might consider Heidi, which means “nobility,” or Matilda, which means “mighty in battle.”

Music fan? You might consider Adele, which means “noble,” or Louisa, of von Trapp family fame in The Sound of Music, which means “famous warrior.”

Art enthusiast? You might choose Frida, like the famous Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, which means “peaceful.”

Do you love nature and the outdoors? You might enjoy these nature names like Brooke or Brooklynn, which mean “water or small stream;” Greta, which means “pearl;” Marlene or Marlie, which means “marshy meadow;” Rosalind or Roselyn, which mean “gentle horse;” or Rosamonde, which means “horse protector.”

Maybe you want to choose a religious name for your daughter? You might like Dorothea, which means “gift of God;” Johanna, which means “God is gracious;” or Kate or Katharina, which means “pure.”

Want to give your daughter a strong name befitting a female warrior? You might consider Bernadette, meaning “strong or brave bear;” Eloise, Elouise, Louisa, or Louise, which mean “famous warrior;” Fernanda, meaning “adventurous or bold journey;” Mathilde, Matilda, Tillie, or Tilly, meaning “mighty in battle;” or Willa or Wilhelmina, meaning “will-helmet or protection.”

Want something a little more elegant for your little girl? Try Alannah or Alleine, which means “precious,” or Mina, which means “love.”

Popular German Girl Names

Here are a few of the most popular German girl names in alphabetical order:

Ada, Adela, Adele, Adelia, or Della

Adalina, Adaline, Adalyn, Adeline, Adelyn, or Adelynn

Adelaide, Adelheid, or Heidi

Alice, Alicia, Alisha, or Alyson

Alannah or Alleine

Anja

Anneliese

Annike

Aubree, Aubreigh, Aubri, or Aubrie

Avalee

Belinda

Bernadette

Bertina

Birdie

Brooke or Brooklyn

Carla, Charlee, Charleigh, Charlene, Charli, Charlize

Carolina, Caroline, Carolyn, or Carrie

Charlotte

Dorothea

Elke

Ella or Ellia

Eloise or Elouise

Ema or Emma

Emme

Emalyn or Emmeline

Fernanda

Frida

Geraldine

Gisele or Giselle

Greta

Harriet

Hattie

Hedwige

Ilse

Inge

Johanna

Jutta

Kate or Katharina

Klara or Clara

Lorelei

Lotte or Lotty

Louisa, Louise, or Lula

Magdalena

Margarethe

Marlene or Marlie

Mathilde or Matilda

Mina

Odette

Jocelynn, Joselyn, or Joslyn

Renate

Rosalind, Rosalinda, or Roselyn

Rosamonde or Rosamund

Sabine

Selma

Stefanie

Tillie or Tilly

Willa or Wilhelmina

Yvonne

German Boy Names

Are you a music fan? You might consider Ludwig, like German composer and pianist Ludwig von Beethoven, which means “famous warrior.” Or you might like Wolfgang, like Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, which means “traveling wolf.”

Literary enthusiast? You might like Conrad, like Heart of Darkness author Joseph Conrad, which means “brave, bold ruler or counsel.”

Do you love nature? You might enjoy nature names like Adler, which means “eagle;” Arnold, which means “strength of the eagle;” Bear or Bernardo, which means “strong and brave bear;” Brooks, which means “water or small stream;” Florian, which means “blond, blooming, or flowering;” Guy, which means “wood;” Jürgen, which means “farmer or earth worker;” Kiefer, which means “pine tree;” Leonard, Leonardo, or Leonidas, meaning “lion strength;” or Randall, which means “wolf shield.”

Maybe you want to choose a religious name for your son? You might consider Christoph, which means “Christ-bearer,” Johann, which means “God is gracious,” or Matthias, which means “gift of God.”

Want to give your son a powerful name worthy of a warrior? Consider Gunnar, Gunner, or Günther, meaning “battler or warrior;” Liam, Lyam, Will, or William, which mean “will-helmet or protection;” Lothar, which means “army of fame;” Ozzy, which means “spear of the gods;” Ricardo, Richard, or Ricky, which mean “powerful leader;” or Rogelio or Roger, which mean “famous spearman.” Alternatively, you might like Frederick or Friedrich, which means “peaceful ruler,” or Manfred, which means “man of peace.”

Popular German Boy Names

Here are a few of the most popular German boy names in alphabetical order:

Adler

Alan or Allan

Alaric

Albrecht, Albert, or Alberto

Alvaro

Armando

Arnold

Barrett

Bear or Bernardo

Billy

Bobby

Brooks

Bruno

Carl, Charles, Charlie, or Charley

Christoph

Conrad

Derek or Derrick

Dirk

Dustin

Ernest or Ernesto

Florian

Frank

Frederick or Friedrich

Garrett

Gerald

Guillermo

Gunnar, Gunner, or Günther

Guy

Hank

Harry

Henrik or Henry

Hugh

Jeffery or Jeffrey

Johann

Jürgen

Karl

Kaspar

Kiefer

Konrad

Kurt

Lamar

Leonard, Leonardo, or Leonidas

Leopold

Lewis

Liam or Lyam

Lothar

Louie

Lucas

Ludwig

Manfred

Matthias

Otis

Otto

Ozzy

Randall

Raymond

Reiner

Ricardo or Richard or Ricky

Robert or Roberto

Rodney

Rogelio or Roger

Roland

Royce

Sigmund

Terry

Udo

Ulrich

Völker

Walter

Werner

Wilder

Will or William

Wolfgang

With so many meaningful German names, I hope you found a few German names for girls or boys to add to your list! What were your favorites?

Want more baby names? Check out old-fashioned baby names, strong boy names, rare girl names, and elegant names. Good luck picking out the right one for your baby-to-be!