A name. A world of connections.

German

“of the same mother, close, kindred”

masculineLatin script

/ˈd͡ʒɜː.mən/ · English (Received Pronunciation)

Origin: Latin
9 language contexts: English Spanish Polish +6 more
Follow the evidence: 7 cited sources Source-reported

01 / Meaning & origin

About German

German is a masculine given name documented in English, Spanish, Polish and 6 other languages. English Wiktionary traces it to Latin Germānus. Russian Wikipedia gives the meaning “of the same mother, close, kindred”.

Separate records with matching spellings: Germán (Spanish)

2 source accounts

Latin origin

Source-reported

Meaning: “of the same mother, close, kindred”

From Latin Germānus, Germānī (“the peoples of Germānia”), as distinct from Gauls (in the writings of Caesar and Tacitus), and of uncertain ultimate origin (possibly Celtic/Gaulish). Not related to german (“closely related”) or germane (from the Latin adjective germānus, through Old French). Attested since at least 1520. Replaced the older terms Almain and Dutch (from Proto-Germanic *þiudiskaz) in English. Besides cognates of German, Almain, and Dutch, two other categories of words for the Germans in other languages are cognates of Saxon and descendants of Proto-Slavic *němьcь; see those entries for more. The surname is generally from the noun, though sometimes confused with Herman, Hermann under Russian influence. As a German surname, Americanized from Germann. Compare Germán, Germain, Jerman.

Sources for this account (5)

Wiktionary: GermanCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Greek Wiktionary: GermanCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Russian Wiktionary: GermanCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Chinese Wiktionary: GermanCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Wikipedia (ru): ГерманCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-16

Explore 1 more accountHide additional accountsSource accounts may describe the same origin.

Polish Wiktionary accountSource-reportedłac. germanus → rodzony, spokrewniony

łac. germanus → rodzony, spokrewniony

Sources for this account (1)

Polish Wiktionary: GermanCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14

Documented usage

View usage notes (9)

Masculine usage · Wikidata Q2699418
Masculine usage in English · Wiktionary: German
Masculine usage in Basque · Wiktionary: German
Masculine usage in Norman · Wiktionary: German
Masculine usage in Danish · Greek Wiktionary: German
Masculine usage in Spanish · Greek Wiktionary: German
Masculine usage in Finnish · Greek Wiktionary: German
Masculine usage in Polish · Greek Wiktionary: German
Masculine usage in Serbian · Russian Wiktionary: German

Explore all 9 language contexts

Linguistic usage labels come from name dictionaries. They are separate from the sex categories recorded in statistical files.

Spelling and script

Written form “German” in the Latin script. Wikidata item Q2699418.

All pronunciation details (8)

/ˈd͡ʒɜː.mən/ — English (Received Pronunciation)
/ˈd͡ʒɝ.mən/ — English (General American)
/ˈɡɛrmãn/ — Polish
/germãn/ — Polish (Slavic alphabet)
[ɡer.mãn] — Basque
/ɡerman/ — Basque
[ɡe̞r.mãn] — Basque
[ɡěrmaːn] — Serbian (singular)

02 / Across borders

Where German is used

Explore published naming statistics and documented language connections around the world.

The name atlas

Across borders

countries in our sources

Select a country to follow German’s connections around the world.

8 countries with published statistics. Language records show cultural connections; they do not measure how common a name is.

Selected country

United States

Statistics + language records

United States, 2025: 112 boys (rank 1539). Documented as a given name in English.

Explore United States

4 of 19 countries

03 / By the numbers

Popularity over time

Follow the spelling through the years, one published dataset at a time.

United States

1880–2025 Spelling: German

Region and dataset

Latest · 2025: 112; applications; Rank #1,539
Peak year: 1991; 304 applications

Hover to explore a year. Use arrow keys when a chart point has focus.

Source: US Social Security Administration; redistributed by nkrishnaswami · SSA national baby names, 1880–2025 (CC0 redistribution)

Integer application counts retained without rounding.

Per million is unavailable: this source has no matching published total.

Show the data table

German in United States, boys: applications and rank by year
Year	Applications	Rank	Status
1880	no value	no value	not covered
1881	no value	no value	not covered
1882	5	943	observed
1883	no value	no value	not covered
1884	no value	no value	not covered
1885	no value	no value	not covered
1886	no value	no value	not covered
1887	no value	no value	not covered
1888	no value	no value	not covered
1889	no value	no value	not covered
1890	no value	no value	not covered
1891	no value	no value	not covered
1892	no value	no value	not covered
1893	no value	no value	not covered
1894	no value	no value	not covered
1895	no value	no value	not covered
1896	no value	no value	not covered
1897	no value	no value	not covered
1898	no value	no value	not covered
1899	no value	no value	not covered
1900	no value	no value	not covered
1901	no value	no value	not covered
1902	no value	no value	not covered
1903	no value	no value	not covered
1904	no value	no value	not covered
1905	no value	no value	not covered
1906	no value	no value	not covered
1907	no value	no value	not covered
1908	6	1,217	observed
1909	8	1,083	observed
1910	5	1,589	observed
1911	5	1,740	observed
1912	no value	no value	not covered
1913	10	1,803	observed
1914	10	2,101	observed
1915	16	1,782	observed
1916	18	1,698	observed
1917	12	2,280	observed
1918	8	3,096	observed
1919	9	2,877	observed
1920	12	2,459	observed
1921	12	2,502	observed
1922	13	2,347	observed
1923	14	2,224	observed
1924	10	2,822	observed
1925	10	2,755	observed
1926	13	2,302	observed
1927	7	3,451	observed
1928	11	2,522	observed
1929	15	2,002	observed
1930	18	1,753	observed
1931	9	2,651	observed
1932	9	2,638	observed
1933	9	2,542	observed
1934	7	2,973	observed
1935	8	2,719	observed
1936	13	1,964	observed
1937	6	3,175	observed
1938	5	3,534	observed
1939	8	2,609	observed
1940	9	2,478	observed
1941	9	2,491	observed
1942	8	2,712	observed
1943	9	2,563	observed
1944	7	2,862	observed
1945	11	2,131	observed
1946	14	1,949	observed
1947	12	2,251	observed
1948	13	2,115	observed
1949	7	3,019	observed
1950	11	2,321	observed
1951	11	2,367	observed
1952	17	1,856	observed
1953	16	1,958	observed
1954	23	1,593	observed
1955	22	1,646	observed
1956	32	1,362	observed
1957	21	1,751	observed
1958	36	1,277	observed
1959	23	1,665	observed
1960	29	1,486	observed
1961	27	1,552	observed
1962	23	1,669	observed
1963	41	1,215	observed
1964	32	1,384	observed
1965	45	1,106	observed
1966	56	968	observed
1967	29	1,411	observed
1968	35	1,282	observed
1969	54	1,050	observed
1970	58	1,070	observed
1971	52	1,138	observed
1972	64	1,007	observed
1973	75	932	observed
1974	71	969	observed
1975	89	879	observed
1976	77	946	observed
1977	87	909	observed
1978	88	920	observed
1979	105	842	observed
1980	107	856	observed
1981	123	784	observed
1982	116	823	observed
1983	125	780	observed
1984	117	808	observed
1985	120	810	observed
1986	105	886	observed
1987	120	852	observed
1988	147	778	observed
1989	269	594	observed
1990	269	614	observed
1991	304	581	observed
1992	243	665	observed
1993	238	667	observed
1994	252	655	observed
1995	246	669	observed
1996	258	648	observed
1997	251	653	observed
1998	210	759	observed
1999	217	743	observed
2000	255	692	observed
2001	274	664	observed
2002	226	762	observed
2003	266	706	observed
2004	216	824	observed
2005	251	780	observed
2006	237	847	observed
2007	215	919	observed
2008	247	861	observed
2009	215	945	observed
2010	187	1,036	observed
2011	150	1,178	observed
2012	166	1,111	observed
2013	150	1,192	observed
2014	161	1,166	observed
2015	155	1,190	observed
2016	171	1,130	observed
2017	152	1,207	observed
2018	161	1,181	observed
2019	132	1,354	observed
2020	121	1,423	observed
2021	115	1,529	observed
2022	124	1,457	observed
2023	123	1,465	observed
2024	102	1,650	observed
2025	112	1,539	observed

About this dataset and its counting rules

Statistics count the spelling “German” as recorded by the publisher. When a spelling has several independent origins, the counts are not split between them. Counts measure applications. Gaps are years without a published value, not zeros.

Rates per million are unavailable for this series because no compatible denominator has been imported.

Universe: US national Social Security card applications by name, sex and birth year; not a complete birth registry, especially before 1937.
Rounding: Integer application counts retained without rounding.
Suppression: Only names with at least 5 occurrences in a year and sex are included. Missing observations are not zeros.
Ranking: computed by NameStoria from published counts; ties share a rank, next rank skips. The mirror's derived rank column is not used.

Retrieved 2026-10-15 · CC0-1.0

Read our methodology

04 / Through time

History

Notable bearers

People recorded with this given name in Wikidata. Their names may use a different spelling, or include it as a middle or baptismal name.

Germano de Figueiredo
1932–2004
Portuguese footballer (1932-2004)
Recorded as a middle or baptismal name
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Germano Boettcher Sobrinho
1911–1977
Brazilian footballer (1911-1977)
Recorded as a middle or baptismal name
Wikipedia Wikidata source

A little story to keep

A name worth keeping.

Take the story of German with you. Create a personal name passport with its meaning, roots and connections.

06 / Behind the facts

Sources for this page

Review status: Source-reported — no editorial review recorded yet. Last data change 2026-10-15.

Name origins & languageDictionaries, name records and related forms7

Wikidata Q2699418CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wiktionary: GermanCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Greek Wiktionary: GermanCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Russian Wiktionary: GermanCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Chinese Wiktionary: GermanCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Wikipedia (ru): ГерманCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-16
Polish Wiktionary: GermanCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14

Statistics and surveysPublishers, dataset licences and retrieval dates8

SSA national baby names, 1880–2025 (CC0 redistribution)
US Social Security Administration; redistributed by nkrishnaswami · CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Statistik Austria — Vornamen (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1): first names of live births, Austria, 1984-2025 (national counts from district rows)
Statistik Austria (Bundesanstalt Statistik Österreich) · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Fichier des prénoms — édition 2026 (naissances 1900 à 2025), fichier national
Insee (Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques) · LO-2.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Imiona nadawane dzieciom w Polsce — first given names of children, PESEL register, 2000-2025 (national)
Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji (Ministry of Digital Affairs), Poland — PESEL register; published on dane.gov.pl · CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Berlin — published first-given-name registration counts, 2017–2023
BerlinOnline GmbH, based on Berlin LABO civil-registry data · CC-BY-3.0-DE · retrieved 2026-10-15
Spain — first names of residents, census snapshot 2025-01-01
Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Finland — first given names of living Finnish citizens in Finland or abroad, 2026-08-03
Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
South Australia — Popular Baby Names, per-year lists including names given once, 1944-2017
Attorney-General's Department, South Australia (via data.sa.gov.au) · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Wiktionary text: CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikidata: CC0. Commons recordings retain their individual file licences. Complete attribution is available in each group above and alongside each chart.

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About German

Separate records with matching spellings: Germán (Spanish)

2 source accounts

Latin origin

Source-reported

Meaning: “of the same mother, close, kindred”

Sources for this account (5)

Wiktionary: GermanCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Greek Wiktionary: GermanCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Russian Wiktionary: GermanCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Chinese Wiktionary: GermanCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Wikipedia (ru): ГерманCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-16

Explore 1 more accountHide additional accountsSource accounts may describe the same origin.

Polish Wiktionary accountSource-reportedłac. germanus → rodzony, spokrewniony

łac. germanus → rodzony, spokrewniony

Sources for this account (1)

Polish Wiktionary: GermanCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14

Documented usage

View usage notes (9)

Masculine usage · Wikidata Q2699418
Masculine usage in English · Wiktionary: German
Masculine usage in Basque · Wiktionary: German
Masculine usage in Norman · Wiktionary: German
Masculine usage in Danish · Greek Wiktionary: German
Masculine usage in Spanish · Greek Wiktionary: German
Masculine usage in Finnish · Greek Wiktionary: German
Masculine usage in Polish · Greek Wiktionary: German
Masculine usage in Serbian · Russian Wiktionary: German

Explore all 9 language contexts

Linguistic usage labels come from name dictionaries. They are separate from the sex categories recorded in statistical files.

Spelling and script

Written form “German” in the Latin script. Wikidata item Q2699418.

All pronunciation details (8)

/ˈd͡ʒɜː.mən/ — English (Received Pronunciation)
/ˈd͡ʒɝ.mən/ — English (General American)
/ˈɡɛrmãn/ — Polish
/germãn/ — Polish (Slavic alphabet)
[ɡer.mãn] — Basque
/ɡerman/ — Basque
[ɡe̞r.mãn] — Basque
[ɡěrmaːn] — Serbian (singular)

Where German is used

Explore published naming statistics and documented language connections around the world.

The name atlas

Across borders

countries in our sources

Select a country to follow German’s connections around the world.

8 countries with published statistics. Language records show cultural connections; they do not measure how common a name is.

Selected country

United States

Statistics + language records

United States, 2025: 112 boys (rank 1539). Documented as a given name in English.

Explore United States

4 of 19 countries

Popularity over time

Follow the spelling through the years, one published dataset at a time.

United States

1880–2025 Spelling: German

Region and dataset

Latest · 2025: 112; applications; Rank #1,539
Peak year: 1991; 304 applications

Hover to explore a year. Use arrow keys when a chart point has focus.

Source: US Social Security Administration; redistributed by nkrishnaswami · SSA national baby names, 1880–2025 (CC0 redistribution)

Integer application counts retained without rounding.

Per million is unavailable: this source has no matching published total.

Show the data table

German in United States, boys: applications and rank by year
Year	Applications	Rank	Status
1880	no value	no value	not covered
1881	no value	no value	not covered
1882	5	943	observed
1883	no value	no value	not covered
1884	no value	no value	not covered
1885	no value	no value	not covered
1886	no value	no value	not covered
1887	no value	no value	not covered
1888	no value	no value	not covered
1889	no value	no value	not covered
1890	no value	no value	not covered
1891	no value	no value	not covered
1892	no value	no value	not covered
1893	no value	no value	not covered
1894	no value	no value	not covered
1895	no value	no value	not covered
1896	no value	no value	not covered
1897	no value	no value	not covered
1898	no value	no value	not covered
1899	no value	no value	not covered
1900	no value	no value	not covered
1901	no value	no value	not covered
1902	no value	no value	not covered
1903	no value	no value	not covered
1904	no value	no value	not covered
1905	no value	no value	not covered
1906	no value	no value	not covered
1907	no value	no value	not covered
1908	6	1,217	observed
1909	8	1,083	observed
1910	5	1,589	observed
1911	5	1,740	observed
1912	no value	no value	not covered
1913	10	1,803	observed
1914	10	2,101	observed
1915	16	1,782	observed
1916	18	1,698	observed
1917	12	2,280	observed
1918	8	3,096	observed
1919	9	2,877	observed
1920	12	2,459	observed
1921	12	2,502	observed
1922	13	2,347	observed
1923	14	2,224	observed
1924	10	2,822	observed
1925	10	2,755	observed
1926	13	2,302	observed
1927	7	3,451	observed
1928	11	2,522	observed
1929	15	2,002	observed
1930	18	1,753	observed
1931	9	2,651	observed
1932	9	2,638	observed
1933	9	2,542	observed
1934	7	2,973	observed
1935	8	2,719	observed
1936	13	1,964	observed
1937	6	3,175	observed
1938	5	3,534	observed
1939	8	2,609	observed
1940	9	2,478	observed
1941	9	2,491	observed
1942	8	2,712	observed
1943	9	2,563	observed
1944	7	2,862	observed
1945	11	2,131	observed
1946	14	1,949	observed
1947	12	2,251	observed
1948	13	2,115	observed
1949	7	3,019	observed
1950	11	2,321	observed
1951	11	2,367	observed
1952	17	1,856	observed
1953	16	1,958	observed
1954	23	1,593	observed
1955	22	1,646	observed
1956	32	1,362	observed
1957	21	1,751	observed
1958	36	1,277	observed
1959	23	1,665	observed
1960	29	1,486	observed
1961	27	1,552	observed
1962	23	1,669	observed
1963	41	1,215	observed
1964	32	1,384	observed
1965	45	1,106	observed
1966	56	968	observed
1967	29	1,411	observed
1968	35	1,282	observed
1969	54	1,050	observed
1970	58	1,070	observed
1971	52	1,138	observed
1972	64	1,007	observed
1973	75	932	observed
1974	71	969	observed
1975	89	879	observed
1976	77	946	observed
1977	87	909	observed
1978	88	920	observed
1979	105	842	observed
1980	107	856	observed
1981	123	784	observed
1982	116	823	observed
1983	125	780	observed
1984	117	808	observed
1985	120	810	observed
1986	105	886	observed
1987	120	852	observed
1988	147	778	observed
1989	269	594	observed
1990	269	614	observed
1991	304	581	observed
1992	243	665	observed
1993	238	667	observed
1994	252	655	observed
1995	246	669	observed
1996	258	648	observed
1997	251	653	observed
1998	210	759	observed
1999	217	743	observed
2000	255	692	observed
2001	274	664	observed
2002	226	762	observed
2003	266	706	observed
2004	216	824	observed
2005	251	780	observed
2006	237	847	observed
2007	215	919	observed
2008	247	861	observed
2009	215	945	observed
2010	187	1,036	observed
2011	150	1,178	observed
2012	166	1,111	observed
2013	150	1,192	observed
2014	161	1,166	observed
2015	155	1,190	observed
2016	171	1,130	observed
2017	152	1,207	observed
2018	161	1,181	observed
2019	132	1,354	observed
2020	121	1,423	observed
2021	115	1,529	observed
2022	124	1,457	observed
2023	123	1,465	observed
2024	102	1,650	observed
2025	112	1,539	observed

About this dataset and its counting rules

Rates per million are unavailable for this series because no compatible denominator has been imported.

Universe: US national Social Security card applications by name, sex and birth year; not a complete birth registry, especially before 1937.
Rounding: Integer application counts retained without rounding.
Suppression: Only names with at least 5 occurrences in a year and sex are included. Missing observations are not zeros.
Ranking: computed by NameStoria from published counts; ties share a rank, next rank skips. The mirror's derived rank column is not used.

Retrieved 2026-10-15 · CC0-1.0

Read our methodology

History

Notable bearers

People recorded with this given name in Wikidata. Their names may use a different spelling, or include it as a middle or baptismal name.

Germano de Figueiredo
1932–2004
Portuguese footballer (1932-2004)
Recorded as a middle or baptismal name
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Germano Boettcher Sobrinho
1911–1977
Brazilian footballer (1911-1977)
Recorded as a middle or baptismal name
Wikipedia Wikidata source

Sources for this page

Review status: Source-reported — no editorial review recorded yet. Last data change 2026-10-15.

Name origins & languageDictionaries, name records and related forms7

Wikidata Q2699418CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wiktionary: GermanCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Greek Wiktionary: GermanCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Russian Wiktionary: GermanCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Chinese Wiktionary: GermanCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Wikipedia (ru): ГерманCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-16
Polish Wiktionary: GermanCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14

Statistics and surveysPublishers, dataset licences and retrieval dates8

SSA national baby names, 1880–2025 (CC0 redistribution)
US Social Security Administration; redistributed by nkrishnaswami · CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Statistik Austria — Vornamen (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1): first names of live births, Austria, 1984-2025 (national counts from district rows)
Statistik Austria (Bundesanstalt Statistik Österreich) · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Fichier des prénoms — édition 2026 (naissances 1900 à 2025), fichier national
Insee (Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques) · LO-2.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Imiona nadawane dzieciom w Polsce — first given names of children, PESEL register, 2000-2025 (national)
Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji (Ministry of Digital Affairs), Poland — PESEL register; published on dane.gov.pl · CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Berlin — published first-given-name registration counts, 2017–2023
BerlinOnline GmbH, based on Berlin LABO civil-registry data · CC-BY-3.0-DE · retrieved 2026-10-15
Spain — first names of residents, census snapshot 2025-01-01
Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Finland — first given names of living Finnish citizens in Finland or abroad, 2026-08-03
Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
South Australia — Popular Baby Names, per-year lists including names given once, 1944-2017
Attorney-General's Department, South Australia (via data.sa.gov.au) · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Wiktionary text: CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikidata: CC0. Commons recordings retain their individual file licences. Complete attribution is available in each group above and alongside each chart.

A story to pass on.

About German

Latin origin

Where German is used

Across borders

United States

Popularity over time

United States

History

Notable bearers

Germano de Figueiredo

Germano Boettcher Sobrinho

Related names

Different forms. Shared stories.

Meet the family

Related names in the catalogue

A name worth keeping.

Sources for this page

A story to pass on.

About German

Latin origin

Where German is used

Across borders

United States

Popularity over time

United States

History

Notable bearers

Germano de Figueiredo

Germano Boettcher Sobrinho

Related names

Different forms. Shared stories.

Meet the family

Related names in the catalogue

A name worth keeping.

Sources for this page