German names consist of one or several Vornamen (forenames) and a Nachname (Familienname, family name). The Vorname is usually gender-specific.

The Vorname (in English forename) is given to a child by the parents shortly after birth but not in all cases. It is common to give a child several Vornamen (forenames). Usually, one of them is meant to be normally used and called the Rufname (call name). This is often underlined on official documents, as it is sometimes the second or third name in a list, even though it is the person's main name.^[1]

In Germany, the chosen name must be approved by the local Standesamt (Office of Vital Statistics). The name must indicate the gender of the child and not negatively affect the well being of the child. Last names or the names of objects and products are not acceptable. For example, "Matti" was rejected for a boy's name because it did not indicate gender.^[2][3] However, these types of names are permissible if combined with a second name which clears up the gender, for example: "Matti Oliver" or "Matti Julia".

The decision of the Standesamt may be appealed after submitting of a fee. The Standesamt refers to a book that translates to "the international manual of first names".

Most surnames or family names (Nachnamen) consist of only one word. Titles of former aristocrats (like Graf for "Count") have become parts of the Nachname in Germany, giving longer names of several words, usually including the nobiliary particle von (meaning "of") or zu (meaning "to", sometimes "at"), often von und zu are also found together (meaning "of and to/at").^[4][5] The legal rules for these names are the same as those for other Nachnamen, which gives rise to a number of cases where people legally bear such names but are not recognized by the associations of formerly noble families in Germany, which continue to apply the old rules of the German Empire in their publications. Most of these cases come about when a woman of noble descent marries a man with no title, and the two adopt the woman's name as their common Nachname, which was impossible under imperial law.

In Austria, titles of nobility including certain other orders and honours held by Austrian citizens have since 3 April 1919 been abolished, including nobiliary particles such as von, the use of such titles by Austrian citizens is an offence punishable with a financial enforcement penalty.^[6] For example, Otto von Habsburg, Austria-Hungary's last crown prince, was referred to as Otto Habsburg(-Lothringen) in Austria. In Switzerland, where titles of nobility have been rare for several centuries, they can be used in private conversation, but are not officially recognised.^{[citation needed]}

Traditionally, the wife adopts her husband's Nachname on marriage and drops her own. However, due to the legal equality of sexes, the opposite is possible as well, though rare.

A few examples of the practice under German law, if "Herr Schmidt" and "Frau Meyer" marry:^[7]

1. They can keep their former Nachnamen. (Herr Schmidt and Frau Meyer). In the 1990s, the law was thusly changed. They can later change to variant 2, though the inverse is not possible.
2. They can declare one name as a "marriage name" (Ehename). In doing so, they can either both adopt the husband's name, or both adopt the wife's name as an Ehename. (Herr Meyer and Frau Meyer; Herr Schmidt and Frau Schmidt)
3. There is the possibility that one partner can combine both names by a hyphen. Thus, one of them then bears a double name (Doppelname). (Herr Schmidt and Frau Meyer-Schmidt (or Frau Schmidt-Meyer); the children have to be called Schmidt). Only one partner can take this option, making it impossible for both partners to have Doppelnamen (So no Herr Meyer-Schmidt and Frau Meyer-Schmidt)

All children of a family have to receive the same non-hyphenated Nachname at birth, which may be either the mother's or the father's Nachname (traditionally it was the father's). If the parents adopted an Ehename this is the Nachname of the child. It is strictly forbidden to give children Doppelnamen if it is not the Ehename.^[8] The latter case can arise with traditional aristocratic Doppelnamen (e.g. Faber-Castell).

If a son bears the same Vorname as his father, he might add a Jun. after his Nachname, and father might put a Sen. The usage of "III" in the case of three people in the same family with the same name does not exist; instead other means of distinction must be used. Roman numbers are considered to be reserved for monarchs and popes.

Traditionally, there was a differentiation of surnames of women from those of their male siblings (as is still a rule in Czech, Eastern Slavic, or Polish female surnames), widespread in Germany until the 18th century. Thus, in old records, especially church registers on rites de passage, such as baptisms, deaths and marriages etc., women may appear bearing regionally typical female surname variants. With the establishment of general official registration of legal names, this practice was abolished in the 18th and the 19th centuries, depending on the legislation of the respective states.

Also, the spelling of given and surnames, varying previously from author to author, or even entry to entry, was then mostly fixed according to the official recorded form. Former noble titles appearing in male and female variants were transformed by the Weimar Constitution, article 109, into parts of the surnames in Germany, but a new tradition of gender-specific variants, for official registration, was established for these surnames. This practice was confirmed in a judgement by the Reichsgericht on 10 March 1926.^[9][10][11]

Colloquially, surname variants for women continue to appear in some German dialects. In Bavarian dialect surnames of women sometimes are formed by adding the ending "-in", used in standard High German to indicate noun variants for women or items of grammatical feminine gender, such as Näherin (seamstress), with Näher (seamster) being the male form. In West Low German parlance the ending "…sch(e)" is sometimes added to surnames of women, related to the standard High German adjective ending "…isch" (cognitive to English "…ish"), suffixed to nouns or adjectives indicating belonging / pertaining to, being of the kind described by the suffixed word: for example, de Smidtsche, is Ms Schmidt (Smith), but literally about the Smithian (the woman pertaining to a man/family named Schmidt).^[12]

Another form, indicating a female bearer of a surname, was the addition of a genitive "s" (like the Saxon genitive), the daughter or wife of Mr. Bäcker (literally Baker) would appear as Ms Bäckers (in German without an apostrophe), as being Bäcker's daughter or wife.

Pseudonyms can be used by artists (Künstlername, "artist's name") and members of religious orders (Ordensname); If a pseudonym is widely known in public it can be added to the passport of that person (under the weaker legal status of Künstlername) and be used instead of the original name in most situations. The same field in the passport also serves to show religious names, i.e. the new name somebody takes on when becoming a monk or nun.^[13]

The academic degree of Doktor (Dr.) and the academic title of Professor (Prof.) are not part of the name in Germany but can be entered into an identity card or passport and are frequently used in documents and addresses. In Austria, this is substantially different.

They are, however, always used in a written address (e.g., Dr. Meier, Prof. Dr. Müller), and will often be used in formal speech or sometimes by lower-ranked persons such as students, though many academics prefer being addressed just like anyone else, i.e. by Herr or Frau alone (see below).

In rural areas it is common that farmers are known by the traditional name of their farm or estate (which often has been kept the same over centuries) rather than their Nachname. Although the Hofname is not an official name, people know it rather than the Nachname. In cases where Nachname and Hofname are not identical (usually because there was no male heir at some point in the family history) they are joined in official documents by genannt (abbr. gen.), e.g. Amann gen. Behmann. In Austria the term vulgo (abbr. vlg.) is used instead of genannt.

There are only four circumstances in which one is allowed to change one's name:

1. On marriage: the couple can choose the name of either partner, they can both keep their original names, or (provided the original family name of neither partner contains a hyphen), one partner can modify their own name, appending the partner's family name to their own, creating a hyphenated name ("Mr. Schmid and Ms. Meier-Schmid" or "Mr. Schmid-Meier and Ms. Meier").
2. Correction of a name: if the state has made an error with the name and this can be proven, the original name can be restored. Example: "Maſs" became "Mahs" and is corrected to "Mass".
3. Gender reassignment in case of transsexuals.
4. Naturalisation of a foreigner in Germany (Art. 47 EGBGB). In this case, the person may choose to adopt German forms of his first and last name, or a new first name if the old first name cannot be translated into German.

Adding the Doktor (Ph.D.) degree (in Germany), or any other academic degree (in Austria), into one's identity card or passport is not considered a name change.

The Nachname is put after the Vorname. In the rural use of several regions where heavy dialect is spoken (i.e. Bavaria, Saxony, the Palatinate or the Saarland), the order is reversed, e.g. "der Mühlbach Klaus" instead of "Klaus Mühlbach". The definite article is always added in this style of naming. Especially in these regions, it is also the usual administrative way, but with a comma; the said person would appear in documents as "Mühlbach, Klaus" or even, with a title or profession "Mühlbach, Klaus, Dr./OLt^[14]/Bäcker".

Except for Southern Germany, usage of the definite article with the name outside of dialect is uncommon, and considered a mistake in standard High German. It is considered familiar language, but not as a mark of rough, rural manners as in French. It is used especially when talking of and/or with children, but also in some other situations. E.g., "Ich bin der Nils", or even "Ich gab der Eva eine Süßigkeit". Respectively, these sentences mean, "I am [the, masculine] Nils", and "I gave [to the, feminine] Eva a sweet". Once again, such usage varies and is optional, and is often used in clarification or in emphasis.

In Austria, the definite article is always used in informal spoken language, but most of the time not in very formal or written language.

In some dialects (such as those spoken in the Western Palatinate and parts of the Rhineland), the article used with women's and girls' names is not the female, but the neuter article. This is because the German word for "girl", Mädchen, is a neuter noun, due to the diminutive suffix -chen.

German is a language with a clear and mostly wanted T–V distinction. It is common that people who are informally addressed with du (friends, relatives, children) are also called by their first name, while people who are formally addressed with Sie are called by their last name, with Herr or Frau ("Mr." and "Mrs.") put in front. The way to address people in grammar version is:

¹In Germany females below 18 (i.e. minors) are generally not addressed as "woman".

At the transition from childhood to adulthood, one might be called in a third form, namely using Sie with the first name (Hamburger Sie) . Sie is common for persons over the age of 15. This is how high school teachers may address their pupils about 16 and 17 onwards, and parents might rarely use the same way to address their teenage children's friends if they have not known them since childhood. This usage is considered somewhat highbrow; noted humorist Max Goldt has remarked that this is the way upper-class parents would address their daughter's boyfriend over the breakfast table. Usage of Sie for family members or even among engaged couples has become extremely rare and considered the pinnacle of stiff, old-fashioned etiquette.

The opposite form, du with the last name (Berliner Du), but leaving away Herr or Frau, is frequently used among retail workers or enlisted men in the military wearing badges with just their title and last name (for example, Herr Schmidt, Frau Müller), who will address each other in the colloquial way while, for convenience, sticking to the name form on the badge. It is also common among kindergarten teachers who thus address each other the same way small children, who have yet to learn the Du/Sie distinction, address them under inclusion of Herr and Frau. The latter usage is a product of pedagogical reform in the 1960s and 1970s; before then, children in kindergarten addressed their teachers as Tante ("aunt") or Onkel ("uncle") and with their first names.

Further, in some areas it is common in schools that students are addressed by their family name or an abbreviation of it as a nickname by classmates if two or more share the same given name (which given that all students are born at about the same time while certain names are high in fashion, is a very frequent occourance). In any other, somewhat more formal surrounding, whether private or professional, this form of addressing someone would be considered rude at least ('Kasernenhofton', Drill Seargent's tone). ^{[citation needed]}

The diminutive form Fräulein (meaning "Miss", literally little woman) to designate an unmarried woman is not considered politically correct anymore and thus has fallen out of official use. A minority of women, especially elderly unmarried women, may still insist on being addressed in this manner (seeing it as an honorific rather than discrimination), but most consider it to be a bit derogative. After all, nobody ever dared addressing an unmarried young man as 'Männlein' (lit. little man).

Similarly, addressing a woman by her husband's first name is largely unknown or at most considered archaic. In times of increasing equality of treatment, many would even regard it an outright offence to practically degrade her into nothing but her partner's appendix. Laura Bush would not be Mrs. George W. Bush (Frau George W. Bush), but Mrs. Laura Bush. Thus, the wife of Gerhard Schröder, Doris Schröder-Köpf, is referred to as Frau Doris Schröder-Köpf, never Frau Gerhard Schröder. In spite of this, it is possible for women to be adressed by the profession of her husband. The most common example would be Frau Doktor (Mrs doctor) being the wife of Herr Doktor (Mr doctor). In certain situations it is thus possible for Doris Schröder-Köpf to be called Frau Altbundeskanzler (Mrs former chancellor, note the usage of the male form Altbundeskanzler not Altbundeskanzlerin in this case).

1. Müller, Möller (Miller)
2. Schmidt, Schmitt, Schmitz (Smith)
3. Schneider (Tailor)
4. Fischer (Fisher)
5. Meyer, Meier, Meir, Meyr, Mayer, Maier, Mair, Mayr (Constable/Mayor)
6. Weber (Weaver, Webster)
7. Wagner (Carter/Cartwright, Wagoner/Waggoner)
8. Becker, Bäcker (Baker)
9. Schulz, Schulze, Schultze, Schulte (Constable/Mayor)
10. Hoffmann, Hofmann (Man of the yard, farm)

These are the names most frequently given to babies in 2006.^[15]

Girls:

1. Marie
2. Sophie/Sofie
3. Maria
4. Anna, Anne
5. Leonie
6. Lena
7. Emily
8. Johanna
9. Laura
10. Lea/Leah

Boys:

1. Leon
2. Maximilian
3. Alexander
4. Lukas/Lucas
5. Paul
6. Luca
7. Tim
8. Felix
9. David
10. Elias

Most popular names between 1957 and 2006 for girls:
Andrea, Angelika, Anja, Anke, Anna, Anne, Annett, Antje, Barbara, Birgit, Brigitte, Christin, Christina, Christine, Claudia, Daniela, Diana, Doreen, Franziska, Gabriele, Heike, Ines, Jana, Janina, Jennifer, Jessica, Jessika, Julia, Juliane, Karin, Karolin, Katharina, Kathrin, Katrin, Katja, Kerstin, Klaudia, Kristin, Laura, Lea, Lena, Lisa, Mandy, Manuela, Maria, Marie, Marina, Martina, Melanie, Monika, Nadine, Nicole, Petra, Sabine, Sabrina, Sandra, Sara, Sarah, Silke, Simone, Sophia, Sophie, Stefanie, Stephanie, Susanne, Tanja, Ulrike, Ursula, Uta, Ute, Vanessa, Yvonne.

Most popular names between 1957 and 2006 for boys:
Alexander, Andreas, Benjamin, Bernd, Christian, Daniel, David, Dennis, Dieter, Dirk, Dominik, Eric, Erik, Felix, Florian, Frank, Franz, Jan, Jens, Jonas, Jörg, Jürgen, Karl-Heinz, Kevin, Klaus, Kristian, Leon, Lukas, Marcel, Marco, Marko, Mario, Markus, Martin, Mathias, Matthias, Max, Maximilian, Michael, Mike, Maik, Nicolas, Niklas, Patrick, Paul, Peter, Philipp, Phillipp, Ralf, Ralph, René, Robert, Sebastian, Stefan, Stephan, Steffen, Sven, Swen, Thomas, Thorsten, Torsten, Tim, Tobias, Tom, Ulrich, Uwe, Wilhelm, Wolfgang

Most popular names for girls in 1900:

1. Frieda
2. Anna
3. Martha
4. Erna
5. Gertrud
6. Emma
7. Elisabeth
8. Margarete / Margarethe
9. Marie
10. Else

Most popular names for boys in 1900:

1. Walter
2. Karl
3. Heinrich
4. Wilhelm
5. Hans
6. Ernst
7. Otto
8. Paul
9. Friedrich
10. Hermann

Most popular names for boys in 1616 in Darmstadt (Hesse):^[16]

1. Johann, Johannes
2. Hans
3. Georg
4. Henrich, Heinrich
5. Caspar
6. Balthasar
7. Conrad
8. Melchior
9. Jost
10. Adam

Most popular names for males between 1600 and 1900 in Württemberg:

1. Johann, Johannes, Hans
2. Georg, Jörg, Jerg
3. Jakob/Jacob
4. Michael/Michel
5. Martin
6. Friedrich
7. Christoph
8. Ludwig
9. Konrad
10. Andreas

Most popular names for females between 1600 and 1900 in Württemberg:

1. Anna
2. Maria/e
3. Katharina/Catharina
4. Barbara
5. Christina/Christine
6. Margarethe/a
7. Elisabeth/Elisabetha
8. Rosina
9. Magdalena
10. Agnes

Names like Gretchen, Grettel or Lorelei, which are used in English-speaking countries, especially the US, and are qualified as German, are rather not registered as legal names in German-speaking countries. Gretchen and Gretel may appear in nicknaming as diminutive forms for Margaret(h)e. "Mädchen", like the actress Mädchen Amick, means girl in German and is therefore not used as a given name. Lorelei is a mythological creature.

• German family name etymology

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