lastnamegenerators

German Last Name Generator

Generate random German surnames with their meanings. Use the filters to match a first letter, length or rarity, then copy or save the ones you like.

Results (10)

  • Pfeiffer

    Occupational name for a piper or fife player

  • Arnold

    From Germanic personal name meaning eagle power

  • Eckert

    From Germanic personal name Eckhard, sword strong

  • Schwab

    Regional name for someone from Swabia

  • Seidel

    From a diminutive of Siegfried, or a beer mug maker

  • Fink

    Nickname from the finch, for a cheerful singer

  • Koller

    Occupational name for a charcoal burner, or a collar maker

  • Runge

    Nickname from a rung or stick, for a stout man

  • Klose

    Silesian short form of Nikolaus

  • Schulze

    Variant of Schulz, village mayor

Saved names

    Names you save will appear here. They stay in this browser only.

    German

    German surnames are dominated by occupations: Müller (miller), Schmidt (smith), Schneider (tailor), Fischer, Weber, Meyer (steward) and Wagner (wainwright) fill the top ranks. Others describe places or landscape (Bach, Berg, Lindemann) or a personal trait (Klein, Lang, Krause). Regional spelling matters: Schmidt in the north, Schmid in the south, Schmitt in the Rhineland.

    Umlauts are part of the name; if your setting or platform can't use them, the accepted substitutes are ue, oe and ae (Mueller, Koehler). Aristocratic "von" belongs before a place name, not an occupation.

    Popular German last names and meanings

    Surname Meaning
    Bauer Occupational name for a farmer or peasant
    Becker Occupational name for a baker
    Berger Dweller on or near a mountain
    Braun Nickname for someone with brown hair
    Dietrich From Germanic personal name meaning ruler of the people
    Fischer Occupational name for a fisherman
    Friedrich From Germanic personal name meaning peaceful ruler
    Fuchs Nickname from the fox, for cunning or red hair
    Graf Nickname or status name meaning count
    Groß Nickname for a big or tall man
    Hartmann From Germanic personal name meaning hardy man
    Herrmann From Germanic personal name meaning army man
    Hoffmann Occupational name for a farm steward or manor tenant
    Huber Farmer who held a hide of land, southern German
    Jung Nickname meaning young, the younger of two
    Klein Nickname meaning small or short
    Koch Occupational name for a cook
    Köhler Occupational name for a charcoal burner
    König Nickname meaning king, for regal bearing or royal service
    Krause Nickname for someone with curly hair
    Krüger Occupational name for an innkeeper or potter
    Lang Nickname for a tall man
    Lange Nickname for a tall man, northern German
    Lehmann Status name for a feudal tenant or vassal
    Maier Occupational name for a farm steward or bailiff
    Mayer Occupational name for a steward or head farmer
    Meier Occupational name for a farm manager or bailiff
    Meyer Occupational name for a steward or tenant farmer
    Möller Low German form of Müller, a miller
    Müller Occupational name for a miller
    Neumann Nickname for a newcomer to a village
    Peters Son of Peter, meaning rock
    Richter Occupational name for a judge or village magistrate
    Roth Nickname for someone with red hair
    Schäfer Occupational name for a shepherd
    Schmidt Occupational name for a blacksmith
    Schmitt Occupational name for a smith, western German spelling
    Schmitz Rhineland form of Schmidt, son of the smith
    Schneider Occupational name for a tailor
    Schröder Occupational name for a tailor or cloth cutter
    Schubert Occupational name for a shoemaker
    Schulz Occupational name for a village mayor or magistrate
    Schumacher Occupational name for a shoemaker
    Schuster Occupational name for a shoemaker or cobbler
    Schwarz Nickname for someone with black hair or dark skin
    Vogel Nickname from the bird, for a cheerful or singing person
    Vogt Occupational name for a bailiff or overseer
    Wagner Occupational name for a wagon maker or driver
    Weber Occupational name for a weaver
    Weiß Nickname for someone with white hair or fair skin
    Werner From Germanic personal name meaning guard army
    Wolf Nickname from the wolf, or short form of Wolfgang
    Zimmermann Occupational name for a carpenter
    Ackermann Occupational name for a ploughman or farmer
    Adler Nickname or house sign meaning eagle
    Ahrens Low German form of Arend, from Arnold, eagle power
    Albrecht From Germanic personal name meaning noble and bright
    Arnold From Germanic personal name meaning eagle power
    Bachmann Dweller by a stream, Bach
    Baier Regional name for someone from Bavaria

    Frequently asked questions

    What is a German last name generator?

    A German last name generator suggests random German surnames so you can name a character, test a full name or explore a family heritage. This one holds 337 real names, each with its meaning, and lets you filter by first letter, last letter, length and popularity.

    How many German last names are in this generator?

    This origin currently has 337 curated surnames, each with a short meaning. New names are added over time.

    Can I get a German last name starting with a certain letter?

    Yes. Type a letter into the "Starts with" filter above. You can combine it with length and popularity filters.

    Are these real German surnames?

    Yes. Every name in this list is a real surname in use today, with its meaning taken from etymological records.

    More last name generators

    By country and culture

    By style and use

    Last name lists

    Other origins