German Boy Names
509 german boy names with meanings, U.S. popularity, and audio pronunciation on every page.
Looking for girl names instead? German Girl Names →
Say a name like Kaiser out loud and you can feel why parents are drawn here. German boy names tend to land with a definite thud of confidence — hard K sounds, blunt endings, nothing apologetic about them. The trade-strong group leads the way, names that began life describing what a man actually did all day and now read as pure Americana. Tanner and Decker both belong to that occupational family, and they wear denim well. Kaiser means emperor and does not pretend otherwise, with Kaizer and Kyzer following as spelling variants for parents who want the sound with a different silhouette.
Push past the bold ones and a much older, gentler roster is waiting. Jakob is the continental spelling of a name that has never really left the charts, and Anton has a cello-string elegance to it that suits a quiet, watchful kid. Hans is about as classically German as a name can get, a short form of Johannes, and Luther carries genuine historical heft. For something with a rock-and-roll streak instead, Ozzy is playful and instantly likeable, Zeppelin nods to the airship and the band in one breath, and Kellan offers a softer landing.
Every name below opens to its full page — a sourced meaning, its U.S. popularity, and a clear audio pronunciation so you can hear it before you fall for it.
German Boy Names — Page 3
Corrado#11168 in the U.S.The Italian form of Conrad, from the Old Germanic Konrad, 'bold counsel; brave advice' (kuoni, ▶Drexler#11189 in the U.S.Drexler is a German occupational surname, from 'drechsler,' a turner or craftsman who shapes wo▶Engel#11284 in the U.S.From the German Engel, 'angel,' also tied to the old element Angil ('of the Angles,' the German▶Freddrick#11314 in the U.S.Freddrick is a doubled-consonant spelling of Frederick, from the Germanic 'frid', peace, and 'r▶Tilmon#11331 in the U.S.Tilmon is a variant of Tilman or Tillman, an occupational surname from the Middle Low German me▶Kramer#11378 in the U.S.A German occupational surname from Kramer, 'shopkeeper, small trader, peddler'. Carried to the ▶Hoover#11379 in the U.S.A German/Dutch surname (from Huber, 'landowner; farmer of a hide of land') given as a first nam▶Hendric#11396 in the U.S.A Dutch and German form of Henry, from Germanic heim ('home') and ric ('ruler, power') — 'ruler▶Hermann#11398 in the U.S.From the Germanic elements heri ('army') and man ('man') — 'army man; warrior'. The double-n He▶Jeryl#11450 in the U.S.Jeryl is a streamlined spelling that reads as a form of Gerald or of the coined name Jerrell. G▶Jantzen#11457 in the U.S.A Scandinavian, Dutch and North German surname meaning 'son of Jan', Jan being the local form o▶Kieffer#11492 in the U.S.Kieffer is a German and Alsatian occupational surname meaning cooper or barrel-maker, also rela▶Kern#11576 in the U.S.Kern carries two possible surname roots: the Irish ceithearnach, a lightly armed foot soldier, ▶Jannik#11591 in the U.S.A German, Danish, and Frisian pet form of Jan (John), from the Hebrew Yochanan, 'God is graciou▶Karlson#11611 in the U.S.A patronymic surname, 'son of Karl,' from the Germanic Karl ('free man; man'). Carried into fir▶Keefer#11611 in the U.S.Keefer is a surname turned first name with two likely sources. It can be an anglicized form of ▶Keiser#11643 in the U.S.A spelling of Kaiser, the German title for 'emperor', itself descended from the Roman Caesar. U▶Keizer#11648 in the U.S.A Dutch spelling of Keizer/Kaiser, 'emperor', descended from the Roman Caesar; also a Dutch sur▶Khaizer#11665 in the U.S.A modern Kh- respelling of Kaiser, the German title 'emperor' (from the Roman Caesar). As used ▶Kiel#11686 in the U.S.Most often a spelling of Kyle (Scottish, 'narrow strait'); it is also the name of the German po▶Reinhart#11689 in the U.S.A form of the German Reinhardt, from Germanic elements 'counsel; advice' and 'brave; hardy; str▶Kristof#11707 in the U.S.A Polish and German form of Christopher, from the Greek Christophoros, 'bearing Christ; Christ-▶Kruse#11710 in the U.S.From the German and Danish surname Kruse, from a word for 'curly; curly-haired'. As a given nam▶Randol#11715 in the U.S.Randol is a shortened variant of Randall, itself a medieval form of Randolph. The name joins Ge▶Lenni#11743 in the U.S.Lenni reads as a short, friendly pet form of names like Leonard ('brave lion') or Lennox ('elm ▶Lennie#11744 in the U.S.Lennie is a familiar English pet form of Leonard, from the Germanic elements meaning 'brave lio▶Mandel#11746 in the U.S.Mandel is a German and Yiddish surname meaning 'almond,' used as an occupational or nickname na▶Olando#11749 in the U.S.Olando is a spelling of Orlando that drops the r, from the Italian form of Roland. Roland comes▶Ludwin#11769 in the U.S.Ludwin is a Germanic name from the elements hlud ('famous, loud') and wini ('friend'), meaning ▶Reus#11834 in the U.S.A name known two ways: Reus is a city in Catalonia, Spain, and separately a German surname carr▶Kirt#11909 in the U.S.Kirt is a variant spelling of Kurt, a German short form of Konrad (Conrad), from the Germanic k▶Kleber#11910 in the U.S.Kleber is a German occupational surname (from kleben/Kleber, a plasterer or clay-worker), used ▶Rodricus#11917 in the U.S.Rodricus is a modern American elaboration of Roderick or Rodrick, adding a Latinate -us ending.▶Reinhardt#11935 in the U.S.From Germanic ragin ('counsel, advice') and hard ('brave, strong, hardy') — 'brave counsel'. Lo▶Reinier#11988 in the U.S.The Dutch and German form of Rayner/Reiner, from Germanic ragin ('counsel; advice') + hari ('ar▶Toben#11990 in the U.S.Toben is a German and Danish short form of Tobias, sometimes spelled Torben as well. Tobias com▶Rucker#12027 in the U.S.A surname of German/English roots, variously an occupational name (a maker of ruffs, or a fulle▶Siler#12099 in the U.S.Siler is a surname well known in Appalachia, most likely an Anglicized form of the German Seile▶Snayder#12108 in the U.S.Snayder reads as a respelling of Snyder or Schneider, a German occupational surname meaning 'ta▶Walther#12162 in the U.S.The German form of Walter, from the Germanic wald ('rule') and heri ('army') — 'ruler of the ar▶Zepplyn#12218 in the U.S.A modern respelling of Zeppelin, the rigid airship named for its German inventor Count Ferdinan▶Alvan#12284 in the U.S.Alvan is a variant of Alvin, from the Old English 'Aelfwine', 'elf-friend', or the related Germ▶Alven#12358 in the U.S.Alven is a variant of Alvin, from the Old English Aelfwine, joining aelf meaning elf with wine ▶Braun#12563 in the U.S.Braun is a German surname meaning 'brown' (a nickname surname for hair or complexion), the Germ▶Darvis#12593 in the U.S.Darvis is usually read as a variant of Jarvis, itself from the medieval name Gervase, of German▶Cobalt#12651 in the U.S.A word-name from the metallic element cobalt and its deep-blue pigment, from German 'Kobold' (a▶Drezden#12673 in the U.S.Drezden is a phonetic respelling of Dresden, the historic city in eastern Germany on the Elbe r▶Dillinger#12687 in the U.S.A surname of English/German origin, best known from the Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger. N▶Gerhard#12692 in the U.S.Gerhard is a traditional German name built from two Old Germanic elements: ger, 'spear,' and ha▶Ernst#12707 in the U.S.Ernst is the German (and Scandinavian) form of Ernest, from a Germanic element 'ernust' meaning▶Enno#12784 in the U.S.An established Frisian and North German name, a short form of older names containing the elemen▶Heinz#12813 in the U.S.Heinz is a German pet form of Heinrich, the German Henry, from the Germanic heim, 'home', and r▶Eyler#12843 in the U.S.Eyler is a modern given name from the German surname Eyler / Eiler, itself linked to older Germ▶Fredi#12873 in the U.S.Fredi reads as a short form of Freddy, itself a pet form of Alfred ('elf-counsel') or Frederick▶Emerie#12898 in the U.S.A spelling of Emery, from a Germanic name blending amal ('work; labor') and ric ('ruler; power'▶Griezmann#12901 in the U.S.A surname carried into given-name use through the fame of the French footballer Antoine Griezma▶Gunter#12903 in the U.S.From the Germanic Gunther (Gunthar), joining gund ('war, battle') and heri ('army, warrior') — ▶Hershey#12944 in the U.S.Hershey is a surname of English and German origin whose exact route is debated; some trace it t▶Georg#12986 in the U.S.Georg is the German and Scandinavian form of George, from the Greek Georgios, built on 'ge' (ea▶Jann#13044 in the U.S.Chiefly a Scandinavian/German short form of Johannes (John), from Hebrew Yochanan, 'God is grac▶Ebert#13085 in the U.S.Ebert is a Germanic name, usually a short form of Eberhard, which joins 'eber' (boar) and 'hard▶Keil#13090 in the U.S.Keil is usually a respelling of Kyle, from the Scottish Gaelic caol, 'narrow, a strait or chann▶Kaspar#13221 in the U.S.The German and Central European form of Casper/Jasper, traditionally traced to a Persian word f▶Lantz#13256 in the U.S.Lantz is a German surname with two likely readings: a short form of Lanzelot (Lancelot), or fro▶Kesler#13272 in the U.S.From the German surname Kessler/Kesler, an occupational name for a maker of kettles and copper ▶Kiefer#13302 in the U.S.From the German surname Kiefer, which carries two senses: 'pine tree' (Kiefer, the conifer) and▶Kasch#13308 in the U.S.A German surname, generally taken as a short form of a personal name such as Kaspar. In current▶Kinzer#13308 in the U.S.Kinzer is a German (and Pennsylvania German) surname, generally traced to Kunz / Kuntz, a medie▶Kayser#13330 in the U.S.Turkish kayser and German Kaiser, both 'emperor', descend from the Roman title Caesar. Kayser i▶Kolben#13344 in the U.S.Kolben reads as a modern American name joining a Kol- or Cole element to a -ben ending, in the ▶Leonhard#13371 in the U.S.Leonhard is the German form of Leonard, from leon ('lion') and hard ('brave, strong, hardy') - ▶Maik#13376 in the U.S.A German phonetic spelling of Mike, the short form of Michael, from the Hebrew for 'who is like▶Levyn#13393 in the U.S.Levyn is a modern respelling of Levin — a Jewish surname from Levi ('joined, attached') and, se▶Lilo#13398 in the U.S.Lilo is a Hawaiian name popularly glossed 'generous one' — though the Hawaiian word lilo also c▶Loden#13406 in the U.S.Loden is the name of a heavy, water-shedding wool cloth from the Alps — German Loden, from an o▶Maier#13433 in the U.S.Maier has two lines. In Jewish families it stands for Meir, Hebrew for 'one who shines, gives l▶Kirian#13443 in the U.S.A variant spelling in the Kilian/Kieran family; by those routes it carries 'little dark one' (I▶Keiffer#13526 in the U.S.Keiffer is a modern respelling of Kiefer, a German surname turned given name. Kiefer means eith▶Philbert#13535 in the U.S.Philbert comes from the Germanic name Filibert, joining filu ('much, very') with beraht ('brigh▶Niklas#13606 in the U.S.The German, Swedish and Finnish form of Nicholas, from the Greek Nikolaos — nike ('victory') pl▶Reichen#13633 in the U.S.Reichen is an uncommon modern name, most likely drawn from the German surname element Reich, 'r▶Ohm#13644 in the U.S.Ohm is most often a spelling of Om (Aum), the sacred syllable of Hindu and Buddhist tradition —▶Quitman#13652 in the U.S.Quitman is a transferred surname and Southern place name, most likely given in honor of the nin▶Rosen#13708 in the U.S.From the German and Jewish surname Rosen, 'roses' (an ornamental element in many names), also r▶Rendell#13719 in the U.S.Rendell reads as a variant of Randall, from the medieval Randel, a pet form of Randolf, joining▶Ralf#13722 in the U.S.Ralf is the German and Scandinavian spelling of Ralph, from the Old Norse/Germanic Radulf — rad▶Reiss#13749 in the U.S.Reiss is a German surname, variously explained as from Riese ('giant') or as a byname for someo▶Renz#13752 in the U.S.Renz is a German and Dutch short form of Lorenz (Laurence), from the Latin Laurentius, 'man fro▶Sandler#13838 in the U.S.From the surname Sandler, an occupational name traced to Yiddish and German sandler, 'sandal-ma▶Sascha#13844 in the U.S.The German spelling of Russian Sasha, the everyday diminutive of Aleksandr (Alexander), from Gr▶Schaefer#13851 in the U.S.From the German surname Schaefer (Schafer), an occupational name from Schaf ('sheep') — 'shephe▶Seger#13855 in the U.S.A surname of Germanic origin, generally traced to the elements sigi ('victory') and heri ('army▶Rahn#13922 in the U.S.Rahn is most often a phonetic respelling of Ron, the short form of Ronald, from Old Norse for '▶Steffen#13926 in the U.S.The German, Norwegian and Danish form of Stephen, from Greek Stephanos, 'crown; garland'. Steff▶Tannen#13947 in the U.S.From the German surname Tannen, tied to Tanne, 'fir tree' (so 'of the firs; by the fir trees').▶Till#13998 in the U.S.Till is a German short form of Dietrich — from the Germanic theud, 'people,' and ric, 'ruler.' ▶Voss#14095 in the U.S.A German and Dutch surname from Low German vos, 'fox' — a nickname name for someone crafty or r▶Waldemar#14101 in the U.S.The Germanic and Polish form of the Slavic Vladimir, from vlad, 'rule', and a second element re▶Weiland#14108 in the U.S.A German surname connected to Wieland (Old Norse Volundr, English Wayland), the legendary maste▶Zeplin#14178 in the U.S.A respelling of Zeppelin, the German airship named for Count von Zeppelin, and best known via t▶Vernard#14383 in the U.S.Vernard reads as an early-1900s American blend of Vernon (an English place-surname) and Bernard▶EikeA German and Frisian name, generally 'oak' (linked to the tree and its strength) or the 'edge' ▶HansiA German pet form of Hans, itself a short form of Johannes (John), 'God is gracious.' A warm, a▶JeskoA German name, a short form of the Slavic Jaroslav (jaro, 'fierce; spring,' + slava, 'glory'); ▶LuzianA German/Swiss form of Lucian (Latin Lucianus, from lux, 'light'). A luminous classic in a Cent▶MatheisMatheis reads as a German-styled form of Matthias, from the Hebrew Mattityahu, 'gift of God' - ▶SchefflerScheffler is a German occupational surname for a maker of 'Scheffel' - wooden measures or bushe▶SiggiA Scandinavian and German pet form of names on the sig- element ('victory'), such as Sigurd and▶TrumpA surname used here as a given name. Trump comes from the English/German word for a trumpet ('t▶
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Frequently Asked
What are strong German boy names?
For sheer force, look at Kaiser, Luther and Decker. All three have the clipped, consonant-heavy sound that gives German boy names their backbone.
What is a traditional German name for a boy?
Traditional picks include Hans, Jakob and Anton. These are the names you would actually meet across German-speaking Europe, rather than modern American coinages.
Are German boy names common in the United States?
Many are, though often in Anglicised spellings. Our pages show the real U.S. birth counts year by year, so you can see whether a name like Tanner is rising or easing off before you commit.