From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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

Forenames

The Vorname (forename, lit. "pre-name") is given to a child by the parents shortly after birth but not in all cases. It is not uncommon to give a child several Vornamen, particularly for girls and among Catholics. 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]

Surnames

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 a von (meaning "of"). 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, 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 have been totally abolished, even particles like von. The use of titles of nobility is punishable there. For example, Otto von Habsburg, Austria-Hungary's last crown prince is 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.

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^[2]:

• They can keep their former Nachname. (Herr Schmidt and Frau Meyer). In the 1990s, the law was changed to allow both partners to keep their Nachname.
• 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)
• 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.^[3]

If a son bears the same Vorname as his father (which, with the exception of certain families of former nobility, is quite uncommon in most areas of Germany at least for Rufnamen; the son of Georg might be named Georg Johannes, but usually the Rufname then is Johannes), 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 is uncommon. Roman numbers are considered reserved for monarchs and popes.

Pseudonyms

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.^[4]

Academic degrees and titles

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).

Estate names

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.

Name changes

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

1. On marriage: the couple can choose the name of one of the partners or they can keep their original names.
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. Unfortunate name: If a name is considered to be offensive (like "Hitler" or "Adolf", or if it is a swear word) it can be replaced by a better name.
4. Gender reassignment in case of transsexuals.
5. 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.

The entry of a Doktor degree (in Germany) or any other academic degree (in Austria) into one's identity card or passport is not considered a change of name.

Order of names and use of articles

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. "Mühlbach Klaus" instead of "Klaus Mühlbach". The definite article, varying with the dialect, is also typically added in this style of naming.

Except for the North of Germany, usage of the definite article with the name outside of dialect is very common. 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. As a rule of thumb, the article is usually only used when referring to a person who is still alive and with whom one is at least casually acquainted. E.g., "Ich bin der Nils", or even "Ich gab der Eva einen Hund". Respectively, these sentences mean, "I am [the, masculine] Nils", and "I gave [to the, feminine] Eva a dog". Once again, such usage is optional, and is often used in clarification or in emphasis.

In Austria, the definite article is always used in informal spoken language, but strictly forbidden in 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 suffix -chen.

Addressing people

German is a language with 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. When addressing nobility, these 'bourgeois' addresses are dropped and the title (such as Graf or Freifrau) is used instead of Herr or Frau.

At the transition from childhood to adulthood, one might be called in a third form, namely using Sie with the first name. Sie is common for persons over the age of 15. This is how high school teachers may address their pupils from the 10th or 11th form (age 16/17) 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, i.e. du with the last name (Berliner Du) is frequently used among retail workers or enlisted men in the military wearing badges with just their title and last name (e.g., 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 which thus address each other the same way small children, who are yet to learn the Du/Sie distinction, address them. The latter usage is a product of pedagogical reform in the 1960s and 1970s; before, 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 call each other by last name, in order to avoid ambiguity (since all students are born at about the same time, naming fashion causes many call names to be non-unique).

The form Fräulein (meaning "Miss") 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 a discrimination), but most consider it to be somewhat offensive.

It is very unusual to refer to a woman by her husband's first name. Laura Bush would not be Mrs. George W. Bush (Frau George W. Bush), but Mrs. Laura Bush. So you will never read Frau Gerhard Schröder; Doris Schröder-Köpf is referred to as Frau Doris Schröder-Köpf.

The ten most common family names

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

^[5]

The ten most common given names from 1600 to 2006

These are the names most frequently given to babies in 2006.^[6]

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, 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)^[7]:

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

German names in English-speaking countries

Names like Gretchen, Grettel or Lorelei, which are used in English-speaking countries, especially the US, and are qualified as German, are not used in German-speaking countries. Gretchen and Gretel are short forms for Margarete. "Mädchen", like the actress Mädchen Amick, means girl in German and is therefore not used as a given name.

External links

• German names
• The Information Universe

See also

• German family name etymology

References

1. ^ Rechtstipps - der private Rechtsberater
2. ^ Das Namensrecht - Doppelname, Geburtsname, Familienname
3. ^ Das Bundesverfassungsgericht
4. ^ Rechtswesen
5. ^ http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_häufigsten_Familiennamen_in_Deutschland
6. ^ Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache (GfdS): Beliebteste Vornamen
7. ^ alte Vornamen aus den Jahren 1616 und 1675