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German Last Names

This list of German last names includes hundreds of real surnames from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, each with its meaning. Many began as trades, so the list reads like a map of a medieval village, from the mill and smithy to the tavern.

300 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

  • Abel

    From the biblical name, or a short form of Adalbert

  • 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

  • Albers

    Low German patronymic from Albert, noble bright

  • Albrecht

    From Germanic personal name meaning noble and bright

  • Altmann

    Nickname for an old man, or from a Germanic name

  • Amsel

    Nickname from the blackbird

  • Arnold

    From Germanic personal name meaning eagle power

  • Auerbach

    Habitational name meaning meadow stream

B

  • Bachmann

    Dweller by a stream, Bach

  • Baier

    Regional name for someone from Bavaria

  • Bär

    Nickname from the bear, or a house sign

  • Bartels

    Low German patronymic from Bartholomew

  • Bartsch

    Silesian short form of Bartholomew

  • Bauer

    Occupational name for a farmer or peasant

  • Baum

    Dweller by a notable tree

  • Baumann

    Occupational name for a farmer or builder

  • Baumgartner

    Occupational name for an orchard keeper

  • Bayer

    Regional name for a Bavarian

  • Beck

    Dweller by a brook, or a baker in southern Germany

  • Becker

    Occupational name for a baker

  • Behrens

    Low German patronymic from Bernhard, bear brave

  • Bender

    Occupational name for a cooper, from Fassbinder

  • Benz

    From a short form of Berthold or Benedikt

  • Berg

    Dweller on a mountain or hill

  • Berger

    Dweller on or near a mountain

  • Bergmann

    Occupational name for a miner, mountain man

  • Bernhardt

    From Germanic personal name meaning bear brave

  • Beyer

    Variant of Bayer, someone from Bavaria

  • Bischoff

    Nickname or occupational name meaning bishop

  • Blum

    Dweller by flowers, or a flower seller

  • Blumenthal

    Habitational name meaning valley of flowers

  • Bock

    Nickname from the billy goat, for a stubborn man

  • Böhm

    Regional name for someone from Bohemia

  • Bosch

    Dweller by a bush or wood

  • Böttcher

    Occupational name for a cooper

  • Brandt

    Dweller by land cleared by burning

  • Braun

    Nickname for someone with brown hair

  • Brenner

    Occupational name for a charcoal or brandy burner

  • Brinkmann

    Dweller by a grassy hill or meadow edge

  • Brückner

    Dweller by a bridge, or a bridge keeper

  • Buchholz

    Dweller by a beech wood

  • Bühler

    Dweller on a hill, southern German

  • Burkhardt

    From Germanic personal name meaning fortress strong

  • Busch

    Dweller by a bush or thicket

C

  • Christ

    From the personal name Christian, follower of Christ

  • Conrad

    From Germanic personal name meaning bold counsel

D

  • Decker

    Occupational name for a roofer or thatcher

  • Diehl

    From a short form of Dietrich, ruler of the people

  • Dietrich

    From Germanic personal name meaning ruler of the people

  • Dietz

    From a short form of Dietrich, ruler of the people

  • Dittrich

    Variant of Dietrich, ruler of the people

  • Döring

    Regional name for someone from Thuringia

  • Dorn

    Dweller by a thorn bush

  • Dreher

    Occupational name for a wood turner

E

  • Eberhardt

    From Germanic personal name meaning boar strong

  • Ebert

    From Germanic Eberhard, meaning boar strong

  • Ebner

    Dweller on a plateau or level ground

  • Eckert

    From Germanic personal name Eckhard, sword strong

  • Eckstein

    Dweller by a cornerstone or boundary stone

  • Eggert

    Variant of Eckert, sword strong

  • Ehlers

    Low German patronymic from Agilher, blade army

  • Eichhorn

    Nickname from the squirrel, or dweller at oak corner

  • Eisenberg

    Habitational name meaning iron mountain

  • Engel

    From Germanic name element Engel, or nickname angel

  • Engelhardt

    From Germanic personal name meaning Angle strong

  • Ernst

    From the personal name meaning serious or earnest

F

  • Faber

    Latinised form of Schmied, a smith

  • Falk

    Nickname from the falcon

  • Feldmann

    Dweller in open country or fields

  • Fiedler

    Occupational name for a fiddle player

  • Fink

    Nickname from the finch, for a cheerful singer

  • Fischer

    Occupational name for a fisherman

  • Fleischer

    Occupational name for a butcher

  • Förster

    Occupational name for a forester

  • Frank

    Ethnic name for a Frank, or from Franconia

  • Franke

    Ethnic name for a Frank or Franconian

  • Freitag

    Nickname for someone born or baptised on Friday

  • Frey

    Status name for a free man

  • Fried

    From a short form of Friedrich, peaceful ruler

  • Friedrich

    From Germanic personal name meaning peaceful ruler

  • Fritsch

    From a pet form of Friedrich

  • Fritz

    From a pet form of Friedrich, peaceful ruler

  • Frühauf

    Nickname for an early riser

  • Fuchs

    Nickname from the fox, for cunning or red hair

G

  • Gärtner

    Occupational name for a gardener

  • Gebhardt

    From Germanic personal name meaning gift strong

  • Geiger

    Occupational name for a fiddle player

  • Geissler

    Occupational name for a goatherd

  • Gerber

    Occupational name for a tanner

  • Glaser

    Occupational name for a glazier

  • Gottschalk

    From Germanic personal name meaning God's servant

  • Graf

    Nickname or status name meaning count

  • Grimm

    Nickname for a fierce or grim man

  • Groß

    Nickname for a big or tall man

  • Groth

    Low German nickname for a big man

  • Gruber

    Dweller in a hollow or pit, Bavarian and Austrian

  • Grün

    Nickname for someone who wore green

  • Grünewald

    Habitational name meaning green forest

  • Günther

    From Germanic personal name meaning battle army

H

  • Haas

    Nickname from the hare, for a swift or timid man

  • Haase

    Nickname from the hare

  • Hagen

    Dweller by a hedge or enclosure

  • Hahn

    Nickname from the rooster, or a house sign

  • Hamann

    Possibly from Johannes, or from Hagemann, dweller by a hedge

  • Hansen

    Son of Hans, a pet form of Johannes

  • Hartmann

    From Germanic personal name meaning hardy man

  • Hauser

    Dweller in a notable house, or a householder

  • Heidenreich

    From Germanic personal name Heidenrich, rank or kind + power

  • Heim

    Dweller in a homestead

  • Hein

    From a short form of Heinrich, home ruler

  • Heinrich

    From the personal name meaning home ruler

  • Heinz

    From a pet form of Heinrich

  • Heller

    From a small coin, the Haller pfennig

  • Hennig

    From a pet form of Johannes or Heinrich

  • Hering

    Nickname or occupational name from the herring

  • Herrmann

    From Germanic personal name meaning army man

  • Herzog

    Status name or nickname meaning duke

  • Hesse

    Regional name for someone from Hesse

  • Hildebrandt

    From Germanic personal name meaning battle sword

  • Hirsch

    Nickname from the stag, or a house sign

  • Hofer

    Occupational name for a farmer on a Hof, Austrian

  • Hoffmann

    Occupational name for a farm steward or manor tenant

  • Hofmann

    Variant of Hoffmann, steward of a farm

  • Hoppe

    Nickname for a dancer or hopper, Low German

  • Horn

    Dweller by a horn-shaped hill, or a horn blower

  • Huber

    Farmer who held a hide of land, southern German

  • Hübner

    Farmer who held a hide of land, Silesian

  • Hummel

    Nickname from the bumblebee, for a busy person

J

  • Jäger

    Occupational name for a hunter

  • Jahn

    From a Slavic or Low German form of Johannes

  • Jakob

    From the biblical name Jacob, supplanter

  • Jansen

    Son of Jan, a Low German form of Johannes

  • Janssen

    Son of Jan, a Low German form of Johannes

  • Jonas

    From the biblical name Jonah, dove

  • Jung

    Nickname meaning young, the younger of two

K

  • Kahl

    Nickname for a bald man

  • Kaiser

    Nickname meaning emperor, from Latin Caesar

  • Kastner

    Occupational name for a granary keeper

  • Kaufmann

    Occupational name for a merchant

  • Keller

    Occupational name for a cellar master or steward

  • Kellermann

    Occupational name for a cellarer

  • Kern

    Nickname meaning kernel or core, a solid person

  • Kiefer

    Dweller by a pine tree, or a cooper

  • Kirsch

    Dweller by a cherry tree, or a cherry seller

  • Klein

    Nickname meaning small or short

  • Klose

    Silesian short form of Nikolaus

  • Kluge

    Nickname for a wise or clever person

  • Knapp

    Nickname for a young man or squire

  • Knoll

    Dweller by a hilltop or knoll

  • Koch

    Occupational name for a cook

  • Köhler

    Occupational name for a charcoal burner

  • Kolb

    Nickname from a club or cudgel, for a rough man

  • Koller

    Occupational name for a charcoal burner, or a collar maker

  • König

    Nickname meaning king, for regal bearing or royal service

  • Kraft

    Nickname meaning strength or power

  • Kramer

    Occupational name for a shopkeeper

  • Krämer

    Occupational name for a shopkeeper or peddler

  • Kranz

    Occupational name for a wreath maker

  • Kraus

    Nickname for someone with curly hair

  • Krause

    Nickname for someone with curly hair

  • Krebs

    Nickname from the crab, or a house sign

  • Kretschmer

    Occupational name for a tavern keeper

  • Krüger

    Occupational name for an innkeeper or potter

  • Kuhn

    From a short form of Konrad, bold counsel

  • Kühn

    Nickname meaning bold or brave

  • Kunz

    From a pet form of Konrad, bold counsel

  • Kunze

    From a pet form of Konrad

L

  • Lang

    Nickname for a tall man

  • Lange

    Nickname for a tall man, northern German

  • Lehmann

    Status name for a feudal tenant or vassal

  • Lenz

    From a short form of Lorenz, or nickname for spring

  • Lichtenberg

    Habitational name meaning bright mountain

  • Lindemann

    Dweller by a lime tree

  • Lindner

    Dweller by a lime tree

  • Link

    Nickname for a left handed person

  • Lippert

    From Germanic personal name Liebhart, dear + strong

  • Löffler

    Occupational name for a spoon maker

  • Lohmann

    Dweller by a grove or wood

  • Lorenz

    From the personal name Laurentius, from Laurentum

  • Löwe

    Nickname from the lion, or a house sign

  • Ludwig

    From Germanic personal name meaning famous warrior

  • Lutz

    From a short form of Ludwig, famous warrior

M

  • Mahler

    Occupational name for a painter

  • Maier

    Occupational name for a farm steward or bailiff

  • Marx

    From a short form of Markus

  • Maurer

    Occupational name for a mason or bricklayer

  • Mayer

    Occupational name for a steward or head farmer

  • Meier

    Occupational name for a farm manager or bailiff

  • Merkel

    From a pet form of Markward, boundary guard

  • Metzger

    Occupational name for a butcher

  • Meyer

    Occupational name for a steward or tenant farmer

  • Michel

    From the personal name Michael, who is like God

  • Möller

    Low German form of Müller, a miller

  • Morgenstern

    Nickname or house name meaning morning star

  • Moser

    Dweller by a bog or marsh, southern German

  • Müller

    Occupational name for a miller

N

  • Nagel

    Occupational name for a nail maker

  • Naumann

    Nickname for a newcomer, new man

  • Neumann

    Nickname for a newcomer to a village

  • Nowak

    Nickname for a newcomer, of Slavic origin

  • Nussbaum

    Dweller by a walnut tree

O

  • Oppermann

    Occupational name for a church sexton

  • Ostermann

    Someone who lived to the east, or born at Easter

  • Oswald

    From Germanic personal name meaning divine power

  • Ott

    From a short form of Otto, wealth

  • Otto

    From Germanic personal name meaning wealth

P

  • Pape

    Low German nickname or occupational name for a priest

  • Paulus

    From the Latin personal name Paul, small

  • Peters

    Son of Peter, meaning rock

  • Petersen

    Son of Peter, meaning rock

  • Pfaff

    Nickname or occupational name meaning priest or cleric

  • Pfeiffer

    Occupational name for a piper or fife player

  • Pfister

    Occupational name for a baker, from Latin pistor

  • Pilz

    Nickname or occupational name from the mushroom

  • Pohl

    Ethnic name for a Pole, or dweller by a pool

Q

  • Quandt

    Nickname from Low German quant, a rogue or joker

R

  • Rapp

    Nickname from the raven, or a black horse

  • Rausch

    Nickname for a noisy or intoxicated person

  • Reich

    Nickname for a rich or powerful man

  • Reimann

    From a Germanic personal name meaning counsel man

  • Reinhardt

    From Germanic personal name meaning counsel strong

  • Reuter

    Occupational name for a land clearer or a rider

  • Richter

    Occupational name for a judge or village magistrate

  • Riedel

    From a pet form of Rüdiger, famous spear

  • Rieger

    From Germanic Rüdiger, famous spear

  • Ritter

    Status name for a knight or mounted warrior

  • Röder

    Occupational name for a land clearer

  • Rosenberg

    Habitational name meaning rose mountain

  • Roth

    Nickname for someone with red hair

  • Rothschild

    House name meaning red shield, from Frankfurt

  • Rudolph

    From Germanic personal name meaning famous wolf

  • Runge

    Nickname from a rung or stick, for a stout man

S

  • Sander

    From a short form of Alexander

  • Sattler

    Occupational name for a saddler

  • Sauer

    Nickname for a sour or bitter tempered person

  • Schade

    Nickname meaning harm or damage, a mischief maker

  • Schäfer

    Occupational name for a shepherd

  • Schaller

    Nickname for a loud or noisy person

  • Schell

    Nickname for a loud or excitable person

  • Scherer

    Occupational name for a barber or cloth shearer

  • Schilling

    From the coin, possibly a rent payer

  • Schindler

    Occupational name for a maker of wooden shingles

  • Schlegel

    Nickname from a mallet, for a thresher or forceful man

  • Schlüter

    Occupational name for a gatekeeper or jailer

  • Schmid

    Occupational name for a smith, southern spelling

  • Schmidt

    Occupational name for a blacksmith

  • Schmitt

    Occupational name for a smith, western German spelling

  • Schmitz

    Rhineland form of Schmidt, son of the smith

  • Schnabel

    Nickname from a beak, for a talkative person

  • Schneider

    Occupational name for a tailor

  • Scholz

    Occupational name for a village mayor, Silesian form

  • Schott

    Ethnic name for a Scot, or a peddler

  • Schramm

    Nickname for someone with a scar

  • Schreiber

    Occupational name for a scribe or clerk

  • Schreiner

    Occupational name for a joiner or cabinetmaker

  • Schröder

    Occupational name for a tailor or cloth cutter

  • Schubert

    Occupational name for a shoemaker

  • Schulte

    Occupational name for a village headman, Westphalian

  • Schulz

    Occupational name for a village mayor or magistrate

  • Schulze

    Variant of Schulz, village mayor

  • Schumacher

    Occupational name for a shoemaker

  • Schuster

    Occupational name for a shoemaker or cobbler

  • Schütz

    Occupational name for an archer or marksman

  • Schwab

    Regional name for someone from Swabia

  • Schwarz

    Nickname for someone with black hair or dark skin

  • Seidel

    From a diminutive of Siegfried, or a beer mug maker

  • Seifert

    From Germanic Siegfried, victory peace

  • Seiler

    Occupational name for a rope maker

  • Siebert

    From Germanic personal name meaning victory bright

  • Siegel

    From a short form of Siegfried, or a seal maker

  • Simon

    From the Hebrew personal name meaning he has heard

  • Sommer

    Nickname relating to summer, perhaps for someone born then

  • Sonntag

    Nickname for someone born on a Sunday

  • Späth

    Nickname for a late born child, or a latecomer

  • Specht

    Nickname from the woodpecker

  • Stark

    Nickname for a strong man

  • Stein

    Dweller by a stone or rocky place

  • Steiner

    Dweller by a rock, or a stone mason

T

  • Thiele

    From a diminutive of Dietrich, ruler of the people

U

  • Ulrich

    From Germanic personal name meaning prosperity and power

V

  • Vogel

    Nickname from the bird, for a cheerful or singing person

  • Vogt

    Occupational name for a bailiff or overseer

  • Voigt

    Variant of Vogt, a bailiff or steward

  • Voss

    Low German nickname from the fox

W

  • Wagner

    Occupational name for a wagon maker or driver

  • Walter

    From Germanic personal name meaning ruler of the army

  • Weber

    Occupational name for a weaver

  • Weiß

    Nickname for someone with white hair or fair skin

  • Weiss

    Nickname for someone with white hair

  • Wendt

    Ethnic name for a Wend, a Slavic people

  • Werner

    From Germanic personal name meaning guard army

  • Wilhelm

    From Germanic personal name meaning will helmet

  • Winkler

    Dweller on a corner, or a shopkeeper

  • Winter

    Nickname relating to winter, or born in winter

  • Wolf

    Nickname from the wolf, or short form of Wolfgang

  • Wolff

    Variant of Wolf, from the animal name

Z

  • Ziegler

    Occupational name for a tiler or brick maker

  • Zimmermann

    Occupational name for a carpenter

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  • Kretschmer

    Occupational name for a tavern keeper

  • Kuhn

    From a short form of Konrad, bold counsel

  • Köhler

    Occupational name for a charcoal burner

  • Decker

    Occupational name for a roofer or thatcher

  • Benz

    From a short form of Berthold or Benedikt

  • Ulrich

    From Germanic personal name meaning prosperity and power

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    The village trades behind German surnames

    Occupations dominate the most common German surnames to a remarkable degree. Müller (miller) is the most frequent name in Germany, followed by Schmidt (smith), Schneider (tailor), Fischer (fisher), Weber (weaver), Meyer (steward or estate manager), Wagner (wagon maker) and Becker (baker). Schulz comes from the Schultheiß, a village headman who collected dues, and Hoffmann from a steward who ran a farm or court. Zimmermann means carpenter, Koch cook and Richter judge.

    The rest of the list mixes nicknames, places and patronymics. Klein means small, Lang tall, Schwarz black-haired and Braun brown. Neumann was the new man in the village, a newcomer. Place names often end in -er, marking someone from a town or landscape feature: Bamberger from Bamberg, Bacher from a stream, Berger from a hill. Patronymics are more common in the far north, as in Petersen, Hansen and Jansen, close cousins of Danish and Dutch forms.

    Regional patterns in German last names

    A German surname can reveal a lot about region. In the north, Low German forms such as Schröder (tailor) and Krüger (innkeeper) appear where the south has Schneider and Wirth. Bavaria and Austria are full of farm-based names such as Huber, Bauer, Gruber and Moser, which describe a farmstead, a hollow or marshy ground, and compound forms like Oberhuber and Mitterhofer. Swabia uses the diminutive -le, giving names like Häberle and Nägele, while Switzerland has -li, as in Zwingli.

    Eastern Germany shows traces of its Slavic neighbours. Names ending in -ke, -tz and -ow, such as Lemke, Jahnke and Pankow, often have Slavic roots or come from places with Slavic names, and Kretschmer, a tavern keeper, comes from a Slavic loanword. The nobility used von, meaning of or from, before an estate or place, as in von Bismarck. Since 1919 noble titles in Germany have been treated as part of the surname rather than a legal rank.

    German surnames abroad and how spellings changed

    Germans were among the largest immigrant groups in the United States, and their names changed in two main ways. Some were translated: Zimmermann became Carpenter, Koch became Cook and Schneider became Taylor. Others were respelled to match English sounds, so Müller became Miller, Schneider became Snyder and Pfeiffer became Piper. Pennsylvania Dutch families, who were German-speaking despite the name, carry surnames such as Yoder, Stoltzfus and Hershey that reflect an earlier wave of settlement.

    When German is typed without special characters, umlauts are written with an e: Müller becomes Mueller and Schröder becomes Schroeder. The sharp ß becomes ss. The list above keeps the original spellings where they matter, so you can pick the form that suits your setting. A modern Berlin character might be a Müller or a Yilmaz, reflecting recent immigration, while a character descended from nineteenth century emigrants is more likely to be a Miller, Snyder or Shoemaker.

    Frequently asked questions

    Which German last names are the most common?

    Müller is the most common surname in Germany, followed by Schmidt, Schneider, Fischer, Weber, Meyer, Wagner, Becker, Schulz and Hoffmann. Almost all of them describe a medieval trade, which shows how important occupation was when surnames became fixed.

    What does von mean in German surnames?

    Von means of or from. It was placed before the name of an estate or town and became a mark of nobility, as in von Humboldt. Since 1919 it has carried no legal privilege and is simply part of the surname, though it still suggests an aristocratic family.

    Why are some German names spelled with ue or oe?

    Those spellings replace umlauts when the letters ü, ö and ä are unavailable. Müller becomes Mueller, Schröder becomes Schroeder and Jäger becomes Jaeger. Some emigrant families dropped the extra e entirely, which is how Müller also turned into Muller or Miller.

    Were German last names changed at Ellis Island?

    Rarely. Inspectors checked arrivals against passenger lists written at the port of departure. Most changes happened later and by choice, as families anglicized names at school, at work or when naturalizing, especially during the anti-German feeling of the First World War.

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