German names are used in Germany and other German-speaking areas such as Austria and Switzerland. See also about German names.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
SuadicaniDanish (Rare), German (Rare) A portmanteau of the Latin words suadeo and canis meaning "persuade" and "dog" respectively. Suadeo can also be used to mean "weapon", which explains the family's crest, which displays an armored gauntlet wielding a sword and a dog climbing a set of stairs... [more]
SuhrGerman Nickname for a bitter or cantankerous person, from Middle Low German sūr meaning "sour".
SullenbergerGerman (Swiss) Derived from an unknown place called Sullenberg or from Schallenberg in Baden, Switzerland. A famous bearer is Sully Sullenberger (1951-), an American retired Air Force fighter pilot and airline captain who is best known for saving all 155 people aboard in the 2009 ditching of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River off Manhattan, after both engines were disabled by a bird strike.
SulzerGerman occupational name for someone who made prepared meats from Middle High German sulzer "butcher charcutier". from a derivative of Middle High German sulze "brine" hence a topographic name for someone who lived near a spring of salty water or a habitational name for someone from any of the places called Sulz in Germany Austria Alsace and Switzerland.
SummerEnglish, German From Middle English sum(m)er, Middle High German sumer "summer", hence a nickname for someone of a warm or sunny disposition, or for someone associated with the season of summer in some other way.
SutterGerman, English English and South German occupational name for a shoemaker or cobbler (rarely a tailor), from Middle English suter, souter, Middle High German suter, sutære (from Latin sutor, an agent derivative of suere ‘to sew’).
SwigertGerman (Americanized) Americanized form of German Schweigert or Zweigert, an occupational name for a gardener or tender of plants, from an agent derivative of Middle High German zwigen, meaning "to graft" or "to plant".
SwinehartEnglish, German Means "swine herder", from Middle High German swīn "hog, swine" and hertære "herder".
SwisherGerman Americanized form of German Schweitzer meaning Swiss.
TabbertGerman, Frisian From Middle Low German tabbert, Middle Dutch tabbaert ‘tabard’, a sleeveless overgarment worn by men in the Middle Ages, (ultimately from French tabard, from Late Latin tabardum)... [more]
TaiberGerman German (also Täuber) and Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Taube ‘pigeon, dove’. The -er inflection denotes the male bird, but in most cases this is an occupational name for a pigeon breeder, from an agent noun derivative ending in -er(t).
TalloranGerman (Modern, ?) It is unknown whether Talloran is a real surname or not. However, the surname means "brave" and is given to James Talloran, a fictional character working for the SCP Foundation. The SCP Foundation is a secret organization that studies the paranormal... [more]
TannenGerman, Jewish German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) habitational name from any of several places in Lower Saxony or Baden named with German Tannen ‘pine’, or from a short form of any of the many compound names formed with this element... [more]
TannenbaumJewish, German German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) topographic name or Jewish ornamental name from German Tannenbaum ‘fir tree’, ‘pine tree’.
TappEnglish, German Derived from an Old English given name Tæppa, of uncertain origin and meaning. In German, it is a nickname for a clumsy person or a simpleton, derived from Middle Low German tappe meaning "oaf".
TaronGerman (Rare) The standardized variant of Tarruhn which has origins in the Neumark region of Brandenburg, Prussia dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries. The Taron family was one of many German families who left the Neumark region and moved eastward into present-day Poland and Ukraine... [more]
TarruhnGerman Origins are found in Neumark, Brandenburg, Prussia.
TederichGerman, Swiss, Scandinavian The origin and meaning of the surname Tederich is uncertain. It may be derived from the German word "Teder," which means tender or soft, or a variation of the surname Tiederich, which is a habitational name derived from Tiederen, a place name in Holstein.... [more]
ThirringUpper German (Rare) The name Thirring has many different forms/variant spellings. These include Thiering, Thiring, Thuring,Thuringer, Turinger, Duringer, Diringer, Diring and During. One of the reasons for all the variant spellings is that the church scribes in Hungary originally all recorded the name differently... [more]
ThomaGerman, German (Swiss) German and Swiss German: variant of Thomas. Greek: genitive patronymic from Thomas. Genitive patronymics are particularly associated with Cyprus.
ThorbeckeGerman Possibly from an unknown place name meaning either "at the brook" or "Thor's stream" in German. A noteworthy bearer was the Dutch liberal statesman and prime minister Johan Rudolph Thorbecke (1798-1872), whose family was of German origin; he is best known for almost single-handedly drafting the revision of the Constitution of the Netherlands, which turned the country from an absolute monarchy into a constitutional monarchy, during the Revolutions of 1848.
TimmGerman, Dutch, English English: probably from an otherwise unrecorded Old English personal name, cognate with the attested Continental Germanic form Timmo. This is of uncertain origin, perhaps a short form of Dietmar... [more]
TinklenbergGerman Probably of German origin, a habitational name from Tecklenburg in North Rhine-Westphalia.
TischJewish, German Metonymic occupational name for a joiner, from German "Tisch", Yiddish "tish" meaning table.
TischbeinGerman, Literature Means "table leg" in German, from German tisch "table" and bein "leg". This was the surname of a German family of master artists from Hesse which spanned three generations. This is also the surname of the main character of the 1929 novel Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kästner, Emil Tischbein.
TombaughGerman topographic name from to dem bach ‘at the creek’, perhaps a hybrid form as Bach is standard German, bek(e) being the Low German form. habitational name from places in Hesse, Baden, and Bavaria called Dombach (earlier Tunbach, from tun, tan ‘mud’).
ToplitzGerman German: habitational name from Teplice in northern Bohemia.
ToppGerman German: from Low German topp 'point', 'tree top', hence a topographic name; or alternatively a metonymic occupational name or nickname from the same word in the sense 'braid'.
TothEnglish (Anglicized), German Either an anglicized form of Hungarian Tóth or derived from German tot "dead" or Middle High German tote "godfather".
TrachtenbergGerman, Jewish Could mean either mean "mountain of thoughts", from Yiddish trakhtn (טראַכטן) "to think" and berg "mountain" or "mountain of costumes", from German tracht "to wear, carry" and berg "mountain"... [more]
TraegerGerman Derived from the German word Trager which means "Someone who carries something." Traeger could also mean "gift of God."
TraunGerman Derived from the Celtic word dru meaning "river". Traun is a river in the Austrian state of Upper Austria as well as a city located on the north bank of that river and borders Linz, the capital of Upper Austria, to the east.
TrauschGerman, Slavic, Low German, Luxembourgish A nickname either derived from Trauschke, a nickname from Old Slavic drugu "companion", or from Middle Low German druus "sullen", "dour".
TrautGerman From either a nickname or a given name derived from the Middle High German word trut "dear, beloved".
TreichelGerman (Swiss) Swiss German: from a word meaning ‘cow bell’, presumably a nickname for a cowherd or farmer, or a metonymic occupational name for someone who made cow bells.
TreikeGerman Surname of german origin, sometimes also used as a given name.
TremelGerman A nickname for a disagreeable person, from German tremel, meaning "boor ruffian".
TrettinGerman Habitational name from a place so named in Brandenburg.
TreuGerman, Jewish From a nickname for a trustworthy person, from late Middle High German triuwe ‘loyal’. As a Jewish surname it is mainly ornamental.
TreuzGerman Derived from the town Trezzo sull'Adda in northern Italy, the name di Trezzo was used by a Milanese armourer family of the 14th century with the first known member being Bazarino di Trezzo, who was possibly also related to the Missaglia family of armourers... [more]
TrexlerGerman It is derived from the Middle High German "Drehseler," meaning "turner," and was most likely initially borne by a turner or lathe worker.
TrillingGerman nickname from Middle High German drilinc "one of three one third" which was also the name of a medieval coin.
TrotterEnglish, Scottish, German Northern English and Scottish: occupational name for a messenger, from an agent derivative of Middle English trot(en) 'to walk fast' (Old French troter, of Germanic origin). ... [more]
TroxelGerman Roots of the German surname Troxel can be found in the region of Hesse, where the name originated. Troxel may be an occupational name, derived from the Middle High German word "truhsaesee," meaning "leader." In this case, Troxel would be a variation of the German surname Truchsess.
TroyerGerman (Anglicized) Surname common among the Amish and the Mennonites. It is the Pennsylvania German form of the German last name "Dreier", "Dreyer" or "Treyer". Hans Treyer, an early Anabaptist leader, died as a martyr of his faith in Bern in 1529... [more]
TurnbowEnglish, German (Americanized) Americanized spelling of German Dürnbach, from a habitational name from any of several places so named or from places in Austria and Bavaria named Dürrenbach (meaning "dry stream").
UhlGerman Uhl begins in the German province of Bavaria. Uhl is a nickname surname, a class of German names derived from eke-names, or added names, that described people by a personal characteristic or other attribute... [more]
UhlerGerman Uhler is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Kastellaun, whose seat is in the like-named town.
UhlmannGerman From a pet form of a Germanic compound personal name beginning with odal ‘inherited property’.
UhrGerman, Jewish Derived from the given name Ulrich. In Jewish, it is a metonymic occupational name for a watch or clock maker, derived from German uhr meaning "watch, clock".
UllmannGerman Variant spelling of Uhlmann, associated with Jewish Europeans, meaning "man from Ulm". It is derived from the name of the city of Ulm in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
UlmerGerman German surname meaning "from the city of Ulm".
UngarGerman, Jewish ethnic name for a Hungarian or a nickname for someone who had trade relations with Hungary. Cognate of Ungaro and variant of Unger.
UngerGerman German, Jewish (Ashkenazic), and Slovenian: ethnic name for a Hungarian or a nickname for someone who had trade relations with Hungary, from the ethnic term Unger ‘Hungarian’ ... [more]
VaderGerman (Rare) From Middle Low German vader meaning ‘father’, ‘senior’; in the Middle Ages this was used a term of address for someone who was senior in rank or age.
ValeeGerman From French origin, denoting someone who lives or comes from a valley.
VallieGerman Probably an altered spelling of German Valee, a fairly common surname of French origin denoting someone who lived in a valley. The name in Germany is also spelled Wallee.
Van BlankenbergGerman, Belgian, Dutch Means "from Blankenberg", a toponym from any of various places so called, in particular in Hennef and Gelderland, or from Blankenberge in West Flanders, Belgium. Probably derived from blanken "white, pale, bright" or "bare, blank" and berg "mountain, hill".
VesperGerman Either a nickname from Latin vesper "6 o’clock in the evening evening time" originally the second to last canonical hour or a habitational name from a place so called on the Ruhr river.
VetterGerman from a nickname from Middle High German veter(e) ‘uncle’, ‘nephew’. The word is from Old High German fetiro (a derivative of fater ‘father’), which was used more generally to denote various male relatives; the meaning of modern German Vetter is ‘cousin’.
VierlingGerman Derived from Middle High German vierlinc meaning "one-fourth of a measure", hence a status name or nickname for someone who had an annual tax liability of this amount.
VietmeyerGerman German: distinguishing name for a tenant farmer who was a tenant of or owed some obligation to an estate or monastery named for Saint Veith.
VillardGerman Altered form of German Hilgard, from the female personal name Hildegard, composed of the Germanic elements hild "strife, battle" and gard "fortress, stronghold".
VillasurdaGerman Villasurda is a Germanic name dating back to the time of the Vikings. It, roughly translated from a Norse word, means, "the one who is fat."
VolkmannGerman Probably denoted for a speaker or a people's person, derived from German volk "people" and mann "man". Alfred Wilhelm Volkmann (1801-1877) was a German physiologist, anatomist, and philosopher... [more]
VollbrechtGerman From a German personal name composed of the elements folk ‘people’ + berht ‘bright’, ‘famous’. In the U.S. this name is often Americanized as Fulbright and Fullbright.
VöllerGerman German cognate of Fuller and a variant of Voll 2. A notable bearer is the retired German soccer player Rudi Völler (1960-).
VollmarGerman, Germanic, Low German This name is a variant form of Volkmar and the Low German form of Waldemar. It is of Germanic and Slavic origin and comes from the following roots: (VOLKMAR) and (VOLODIMĚRŬ).
Von AachenGerman Means "from Aachen", a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, ultimately derived from Latin acquae "water, water sources", referring to the sacred springs associated with the Celtic god Grannus.
Von EsmarchGerman Means "from Esmarch" in German, Esmarch being an unknown meaning. Friedrich von Esmarch (1823-1908) was a German surgeon who developed the Esmarch bandage and founded the Deutscher Samariter-Verein, the predecessor of the Deutscher Samariter-Bund.
Von HammersmarkPopular Culture, German (?) Means "from Hammersmark" in German. Bridget von Hammersmark is a fictional character in Quentin Tarantino's film 'Inglourious Basterds' from 2009.
Von LangenbeckGerman Means "from a long stream" in German, from Low German lange "long" and beke "stream". Bernhard Rudolf Konrad von Langenbeck (1810-1887) was a German surgeon known as the developer of Langenbeck's amputation and founder of Langenbeck's Archives of Surgery.
von StauffenbergGerman From the name of the former castle Burg Stauffenberg in Swabia, southwestern Germany.
Von SydowSwedish, German von Sydow is a German and Swedish noble family from Pomerania, an area in modern day Poland and Germany. Some members of the family immigrated to Sweden in 1724. The name literary means "from Sydow"... [more]
Von WestphalenGerman Denoted a person from Westphalia, a region of northwestern Germany, borrowed from Medieval Latin Westphalia, derived from Middle Low German Westvâlen "west field".
VoughtGerman The surname Vought originates in the Latin form "vocatus" or "advocatus," and referred to someone who appeared in court on another's behalf. As a surname, Vought is an occupational hereditary surname for a "bailiff" or "overseer of a nobleman's estate".
WachsGerman, Jewish Occupational name for someone who dealt with beeswax from Middle High German wahs German wachs "wax".
WachsmannGerman, Jewish Occupational name for a gatherer or seller of beeswax from Middle Low German was "wax" and man "man".
WachterGerman, Dutch Means "guard, sentinel", an occupational name for a watchman.
WackerGerman From a nickname for a bold or energetic person, from Middle High German wacker meaning ‘fresh’, ‘lively’, ‘brave’, or ‘valiant’.
WackermanEnglish (American), German From the Americanized spelling of German Wackermann, a variant of Wacker, with the addition of Middle High German man, meaning ‘man’.
WagmannGerman Possibly derived from Swabian Wegman, meaning "herb".
WahlGerman, Jewish From Middle High German Walhe, Walch "foreigner from a Romance country", hence a nickname for someone from Italy or France, etc. This surname is also established in Sweden.
WaldmannGerman topographic name for someone who lived in a forest or alternatively an occupational name for a forest warden from Middle High German waltman literally "forest man" derived from the elements wald "forest" and man "man"
WaldorfGerman Habitational name from any of at least three places so called, derived from Old High German wald "forest" and dorf "village, settlement"... [more]
WaldsteinGerman, Jewish Habitational surname for a person from a place in Bohemia called Waldstein, which is derived from Middle High German walt "forest" + stein "stone".
WalliserGerman Denoting somebody from Valais (German form Wallis), a canton in Switzerland, or someone who immigrated from Valais, ultimately from Latin vallis "valley, vale".