Finding a name for your baby you love is one of the most important parts of preparing for his or her arrival. But not every name suits every family.
Baby name trends change with time, and it’s often helpful to have a few examples close at hand to get inspiration.
German boy names are usually influenced by their surrounding. In the late 1700s, the German emperor ruled that it was important for all Germans to make German names as part of an effort to standardize the German identity.
And common names like Ulrich and Gerhard Hans were not acceptable. Below are some of the most suitable names you can give your boy child.
German Boy Names and Meanings
Abelard
This name originated from old German, which means “resolute” or “noble strength.”
Adrean
This is one of the unique German boy names that has Latin roots and means ” Man from Hadra.”
Arcmad
Islam spread rapidly through Germany, through the influence of the Ottoman Empire, and the name Arcmad is proof. It is the German variation of the Arabic name “Ahmed,” meaning praiseworthy.
Aelberht
This name is also spelled as Albert, meaning “A bright or shiny edge. It’s also of German origin.
Ambros
This is one of the coolest German boy names, which has a Latin origin. Ambros is the German version of the name Ambrosius which means ” Immortal. “
Anselm
Anselm is a unique name with German roots and consists of two words, ‘ans’ and ‘Helm’ which means ” divinity ” or “protection.” Hence, it also means “divine helmet.”
Anton
Anton has many variations, which include; Antonio, Anthony, and others. Anton is a derivation of the Latin meaning “invaluable.”
Azzo
The name Azzo has roots in Italian and German culture. It comes from the Latin “Accius,” which means “from ACCA.” Meanwhile, history has it that the old German origin of the name means “Noble at birth.”
Arnold
Arnold has German and English origin. This means ” strength of the eagle “it also has alternative spellings like Arnie, Arne, Arnwald, and Ari. This name was commonly used in the 1920s. The Arnold palmer beverage is a mixture of lemonade and iced tea, said to have been frequently requested by one of Americans professional golfers of the same name.
Adelheid
The name Adelheid is one of the few German boy names that haven’t been registered in the top 1,000 baby names in the U.S, but its variant, Heidi, peaked in the 1970s at 1,257 babies. It also has alternative phrases like Heidi, Heide, and Adelaide, which means ” Nobility. “
Baldrik
Baldrik originated from the old French baudre. The name means “bold” it also has an alternate way to spell the name baldrick.
Baldwin
Baldwin originates from the old German boy name “Baldavin,” which means “brave.” A famous namesake is an actor and a comedian, Alec Baldwin.
Berchwald
This is one of the most famous German boy names, with German origins. The name means ” A bright ruler; and also one who is charming and intelligent.”
Berhtram
Berhtram is a contracted version of the old high German name Berahthraben, which means “bright raven,” and it also has a German origin.
Borgart
Borgart is a German surname that means “orchard. ” Although Borgart has middle English origin. In German, the first name borgart means ” Bowstring’s.”
Boris
Boris comes from the Turkic name Borgaris. The name meant “short” or “A wolf.” It has a famous namesake called ” king Boris 1 of Bulgaria, far back in the 9th century.
Brenner
This is a cool name for a boy, and it has a middle-high German origin. Meaning “someone who does the job of burning things,” it was probably derived from an occupation.
Burkhart
Burkhart has the combination of Burg and hard. Which is derived from the medieval name “Burkhard,” which means “fort” and “strong” Burkhart has its origin in German and in Dutch. Burkhart means “strong as a castle.”
Burnard
This name is a variation of the personal name Bernhard, consisting of the words ” born” and “hard,” meaning ” bear” and “strong.” The name means ” Strong as a bear.”
Bertina
This is one of the coolest German boy names meaning; bright, famous, and intelligent. You might also consider alternative spellings like; Bertine, Tine, Tina, and Bertie. A famous namesake is a Mozambican painter and sculptor named ” Bertina Lopez. ” Bertina is a unique name! It has no record of ranking in the top 1,000 American baby names.
Christoph
The name originates from the Latin word Christophorus. Although, Christoph which means ” Christ-bearer,” has never appeared on the list of the top 1,000 most popular baby names, its English diminutive, Christopher, was the second most popular name for boys in the 1980s. Its famous namesake is an Austrian actor, Christoph waltz.
Clemens
Clemens is a good German name for a baby boy with French roots. It is derived from the name Clement which means “good-natured; merciful and gentle.”
Curt
Curt is also one of the coolest German boy names on this list. This name means “Courteous,” and it also has a French diminutive.
Diedrick
It is a variation of old German “Diedrick,” which means “king of nations.”
Detlef
Detlef means “The people’s heritage” and is one of the traditional German names. Detlef schrempf the famous NBA player, bears this name.
Dirk
Dirk is a German boy name that means “people ruler.” The alternative spellings are; Dierk, Dirks, and Dierks. In the 1969s, it held a position on the top 1,000 baby boy names but declined. It was made trendy by another NBA superstar Dirk Nowitzki.
Ebert
Ebert is an old German surname which was also a nickname coming from the word Eber meaning ” boar.” The name Ebert means “strong as a boar.”
Eckhard
Eckhard is one of the German boy names that consist of two words, ” Ek, and hard,” which means ” edge” and “strong,” respectively.
Emmerich
This is a cool name to consider when searching for German boy names. It is an alternative way of spelling the German Amalrich, meaning ” work power.”
Elke
The name Elke has several variations like; Elka, Alke, Elkie. Its famous namesake is a popular journalist Elke Heidenriech.
Filip
Filip is a diminutive of the commonly used Philip. This name is now catching up with many across the world, and it means “lover of horses” from its Greek origin.
Friederich
The name is a combination of two words, ” Fridu” and ” right,” which means “peaceful” and “powerful,” respectively. It’s also a variation of the high old German Frederick. A famous namesake is a German poet and philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche.
Fritz
Fritz is a short but cool name for your baby. A nickname for Friedrich, it can also be used as a name on its own.
Fulhert
This is another cool name to consider while looking for German boy names. It comes from the old German name Filibert, which means “very bright.”
Florian
Florian has a roman and German origin which means, blond, blooming, and flowering. With variations like Florien, Floriano, Fiorino, and florin. A famous namesake is a German musician Florian Schneider.
Gunther
Gundahar, from which Gunther is derived, was the name of the 5th-century Burgundian king. He appears in the epic poem Nibelungenlied, where he courts the Icelandic queen Brunhild. Although it may be a popular familiar name, Gunther has never ranked in the top 1,000 American boys’ name. Gunther means ” warrior.”
Gerd
Gerd, which means “spear strong,” is a contracted form of the old German name Gerdhard. It is short but also cool for your baby boy.
Gustav
Although the origin of this name is uncertain, some people believe it was coined from the Slavic name Gostislav which was borne by six different Swedish kings. The name Gustav means “staff of the goths.”
Harket
Harket is a common name with German roots. The name Harket means “woodcutter.”
Hans
The name Hans is a prevalent name with German origins, which means ” God is gracious. “
Helmut
Helmut is a combination of the two German words ‘helm’ and ‘muot,’ which means ” helmet” and “courage,” respectively.
Hubert
Hubert has Germanic origins and combines two words ‘hug’, which means “heart,” and ‘beraht,’ which means “bright.”
Ivon
It is the German diminutive of the name Yvon with French origins. The name means ” yew tree.”
Izzak
The name Izzak was derived from the Greek name Isaak, which means ” he will laugh.”
Jakob
Jakob is a cognate of the Hebrew boys’ name Jacob, used in Germany and some other Nordic countries. The name means ” supplanters.”
Johan
This is the short form of the name Johannes which has Latin roots. The name means ” God is gracious,” and it’s still used by multiple countries across the world. Johan made it to the list of top 1,000 most popular boys name in 2010 with a rank of 911.
Jurgen
Jurgen means “farmer or earth worker.” It has German, Dutch, and English origin. Jurgen makes a truly unique baby name, and it has never reached the top 1,000 names for boys in the U.S. It’s the Germanic form of the name George.
Klaus
This is the German variant of the name Claus, which translates into “victor of the people.” It is a trendy name in Germany.
Konrad
Konrad has Polish and German origins, and it originated from the name Conrad, which means ” bold adviser. “
Kaiser
Kaiser is the German version of the Latin name caesar, which means ” severed.”
Kurt
Kurt is of English and German origins, and it means “counselor” or “adviser.” Kurt hits popularity in the 1960s, and alternative spellings include Curt, Curtis, Curtiss, Kurtis, Kurtiss. A famous namesake is an American musician Kurt Cobain of Seattle’s.
Leopold
Leopold originates from the Germanic name Luitbald, meaning “great people.” The 1910s saw the most boys bear Leopold, but with the increasing population of the name Leo, Leopold may be set for a comeback. A famous namesake is Catholic saint Leopold Mandic.
Lothar
The name Lothar meaning ” Army of fame,” has not had a recorded spike in popularity in the U.S. One of the worst winter windstorms to ever hit Europe was named Lothar’s big brother. It raged through several northwestern countries in march 1876.
Ludwig
It’s an old high German name which means “famous warrior .”Ludwig had its peak in the 1840s when 43 babies per million were given this name. Famous namesakes include world German composer Ludwig van Beethoven.
Leo
The name was given to several popes and early Christian saints. Leo is a short form of Leon and is also a Latin name for ” lion.”
Luka
Luka is a German diminutive of the name Lucas. It has its roots in the Greek name Loukas, which means “from Luciana.”
Lydon
Although Lydon has Gaelic and Irish origins, it is also a German boy name which means “one from the linden tree hill.”
Max
This name is a short form of Maxwell or Maximillian and is of German, English, and Aboriginal origins. The name means “greatest.” Max is a short and cool name for your baby and is also widely popular.
Manfred
Manfred, which means ” man of peace,” has never ranked in the top 1,000 names in the U.S. Variations are Manfried, Mannfried, Freddie, and Fred. A keyboardist for the eponymous English band Manfred Mann is a namesake.
Matthias
meaning “a gift from God,” Matthias has Greek and German origins. It has several alternative spellings like; Matthew, Mathew, Matt. German botanist and co-founder of the cell theory, Matthias Jakob Schleiden, Saint Matthias, chosen as an apostle to replace Judas Iscariot, are famous namesakes.
Meinhard
This name is a variation of the German name Meinhardt, a combination of the words ‘mein’ and ‘hard,’ which means “brave” and “heart.”
Merten
It is the low German version of the French name martins and means “of the Mars.” Merten is a very popular name that is used across different cultures.
Morgen
This is another name that sterns from middle-high German, which means “morning.” It is a cool yet pleasant name for a baby boy.
Nickolaus
Nickolaus is the German form of the French name Nicolas. Which means “victor of the people.”
Nisse
Nisse is a name that comes from German folklore, and it comes from expressions such as “Nisse god drang,” which means, ” Nisse good lad.”
Obrecht
It’s a German boy name derived from the term Od-Brecht, meaning “famed for his heritage.”
Oskar
This is a German and Scandinavian variation of the name Oscar. Derived from the Gaelic words Os and Cara, which means “dear” and ” friend,” respectively, the name combines to form the popular expression ” dear friend.”
Otis
The name Otis is believed to be of German origin. It means “wealth, prosperity” in German and English and is a popular name around Europe.
Otto
Otto means “prosperity,” and it’s one of the coolest German boy names with a positive meaning. A famous namesake Otto frank, holocaust survivor and father of Anne Frank, 19th – century German councilor Otto von Bismarck.
Paul
The name is simple and short. Paul has Latin origins, which means ” small” and “humble.”
Phillip
Phillip is a common name around the world, and it’s derived from the Latin Philippus, which means ” lover of horses.”
Peppin
It’s a variation of the French name Pepin which means “perseverant one.”
Poldi
Poldi is a diminutive of the name Leopold. It’s a German boy name that means ” brave people.”
Rafael
This name comes from the Hebrew name Rafael, which translates to “God heals.” In the Hebrew culture, Rafael is the name of an archangel.
Rainart
The name Rainart is a variation of the surname Reinhardt. It is an old German name, which means “strong judgment.”
Rex
The name Rex is an excellent German boy name with short spelling and simple pronunciation. Much like Raj, Rex comes from Latin, and it means “king.”
Reynold
This name comes from the old German elements of Ragin and Wald, which means ” advice” and ” power.” The name Reynold means “king’s adviser.” It is also a distant relative of the name Ronald.
Ruprecht
It is the German diminutive of the name Robert which means ” bright and flame.”
Reker
The name Riker was a German surname but has been used as a given name for some time now. It comes from the Germanic rike, which means ” rich.”
Sigmund
This name has a German origin, which means “protection through victory.” A famous namesake is an Australian phycologist, Sigmund Freud. The 1910s saw an increase in babies named Sigmund, probably due to the interest in Sigmund Freud’s psychological principles.
Siegfried
This is an old high German name from the elements ‘Sig’ and ‘frid,’ which means “Victory” and “peace.”
Siemen
This name is of the Dutch and German variant of the Greek Symeon, which means “hearkening.”
Stadtler
Commonly used as a surname, Stadtler comes from the middle high German word Stadel, meaning “a barn,” and is now mostly used as a first name for boys.
Stefan
Stefan is the German variation of the name Stephen. It is derived from the Greek word Stephanos which means ” crown.”
Stein
Stein is one of the popular German boy names with Jewish roots, which means ” stone.”
Tabbert
This name is contracted from the old high German name Dagobert . The name means ” bright day.”
Tedrick
The name Tedrick has Greek roots, and it means ” gift of God.”
Tihalt
An outstanding name with German origins, Tihalt means “the people’s prince.”
Traeger
This name is of German origin, and it means “someone who carries something.”
Ulrich
Ulrich is one of the unique German male names that hasn’t made it to the list of 1,000 baby names in the last 140 years. The name means “heritage” and is of German origin. Famous namesakes include German physicist Ulrich Merkel.
Ulbrecht
This name comes from two German words, ‘Wulf’ and ‘beraht,’ meaning “wolf” and “bright,” hence, “bright wolf.”
Urs
This is another short cool name for your baby boy. The name Urs originated from the Latin word Ursus which means ” bear.”
Uwe
Uwe has Scandinavian origins, and it comes from the word Ove meaning “little edge.”
Valdemar
Valdemar is a German boy name that has Scandinavian roots. The name means ” famous ruler.”
Valentin
This is a German variation of the Latin name Valentinus which means “strong” and “healthy.” Variations of the name are used across the world.
Valter
The name means ” strong fighter, warrior.” Valter has Swedish origin, and it’s picking up popularity in Germany.
Vergil
This name is taken from the Latin Vergilius, which means “flourish.” There are several other variations across the world.
Volker
Although Volker comes from old German, the word “volk” means “folk” or “people” in German to this day. The name Volker means ” warrior of the people ” A famous namesake is German filmmaker Volker Schlondorff.
Werner
This name is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and it comes from Warnier, which was a German name. It consists of ‘warin’ and ‘hari’ and combining them; the meaning is “covered warrior.”
Wagner
This name is derived from an old German surname Waganari, which means ” wagonmaker.” It’s a cool name for a baby boy.
Waldemarr
It is an alternative way to spell the name Valdemar and also has Scandinavian roots. The name means ” famous ruler.”
Waldheri
This is a diminutive of the old high German name Walthari, which means “ruler of the army.”
Waldo
Waldo is among the popular German boy names that mean “To rule.” It became more popular after the 1990’s children’s puzzle “where’s Waldo.”
Wendall
Wendall, which means “wanderer” in German, is a popular name across the world. There are various ways to spell the name.
Wilbert
It is the equivalent of the name Wilboerht, which has Anglo–Saxon roots. The name means “resolute,” and it comes from the two elements ‘will’ and ‘beraht.’
Wilfred
This name also has different ways of spelling it. Wilfred has Germanic roots, and it means “resolute peace.”
Wilhelm
It’s an old high German name that is similar to the name William. It is a combination of two words which means “will” and ” helmet.”
Wolfgang
Wolfgang has been and still a popular name in Germany. Many boys bear this name, and it has Germanic roots. It is a cute name that means “advancing wolf.”
Wolfrick
Similar to Wolfgang, Wolfrick is a cool German boy name that means “ruler of wolves.” A boy’s name cannot get any cooler than that.
Xiomar
This is one of the very, very few german boy names, beginning with the alphabet X (actually, one of the few in Germany). It is of Spanish origin, which means “famous battle.” Names that start with the letter “X” are cool by default.
Yvo
This is an old German name that comes from the word IV, meaning “yew.” The name means ” yes tree.”
Zigmund
This name comes from the two German words ‘sigu’ and ‘mund,’ which means ” victory” and “protector.” The anglicized variant of the name is Sigmund, and it’s very popular across the world.
Be sure to go through our list to find a suitable name for your baby boy. German boy names really sound cool and have a particular character.
We hope our list has more than enough options for you. Have fun and good luck in choosing!
