Name Awesome

German

#1,541 in 2025Boys' name

Form of Germanus

German has been given to 10,295 babies in the U.S. since 1882. In 2025 it ranked #1,541 of 13,926 boys’ names in use. Its peak year was 1991, with 304 recorded.

Babies named German, 2025

1 in 29,600

German over time, 1880–2025

BoysGirls
010020030040018801900192019401960198020002020

Based on births in the U.S. Babies given the name each year. Hover the chart — or focus it and use the arrow keys — for any year. Gaps mean the name was given fewer than 5 times that year; these counts are unpublished.

German: meaning, origin, and history

Form of Germanus

Russian

What German means

German is a form of Germanus.

Dictionary etymologyReferences, data & attribution

From Latin Germānus, Germānī (“the peoples of Germānia”), as distinct from Gauls (in the writings of Caesar and Tacitus), and of uncertain ultimate origin (possibly Celtic/Gaulish). Not related to german (“closely related”) or germane (from the Latin adjective germānus, through Old French). Attested since at least 1520. Replaced the older terms Almain and Dutch (from Proto-Germanic *þiudiskaz) in English. Besides cognates of German, Almain, and Dutch, two other categories of words for the Germans in other languages are cognates of Saxon and descendants of Proto-Slavic *němьcь; see those entries for more. The surname is generally from the noun, though sometimes confused with Herman, Hermann under Russian influence. As a German surname, Americanized from Germann.

Excerpt from Wiktionary: German (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Wiktionary material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Origin, language, and formation

German is used in English, Basque and Norman. Its origins include Russian.

Related names and everyday forms

Related names include Germanus.

Pronunciation and spelling

In English, German is pronounced /ˈd͡ʒɝ.mən/.

American usage and historical context

In the United States, 10,290 boys were recorded with the name German between 1882 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 304 in 1991; its best national rank was #581 in 1991.

Over 5 years its rank fell, from #1,429 in 2020 to #1,541 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank fell, from #1,193 in 2015 to #1,541 in 2025.

In the United States, 5 girls were recorded with the name German between 1993 and 1993. Its highest annual count was 5 in 1993; its best national rank was #14,259 in 1993.

How common is German?

Everything below is computed from the 2025 data — the most recent year available.

Among all babies, 2025
1 in 29,600
112 of 3,315,165 births
Among boys only
1 in 15,200
<0.01% of boys
Rank, 2025
#1,541
of 13,926 boys’ names in use
Coin-flip room size
20,518 kids
Even odds of a second one

Where German sits on the popularity scale

Rarest published (5 a year)#1 — Liam (20,818)

Chance at least one other child shares the name

If the other children were drawn at random from the 2025 national name distribution. Real classrooms cluster by region and community, so treat these as a floor, not a ceiling.

Class of 20Under 1%
Class of 30Under 1%
Grade of 100Under 1%
School of 5002%

Put another way: gather 20,518 children born in 2025 and it's an even bet that one of them is another German. In a class of 30 the chance is Under 1%.

When Germans were born

Half of everyone ever recorded as German was born before 1997 — so the typical German is around 28 today.

Median birth year
1997
About 28 years old
Biggest decade
1990s
24.2% of all use
Born in the last 25 years
43.0%
Spread across generations
Recorded since 1950
9,870
People you could plausibly meet
Choose a decade

1990s — 24.2% of all recorded uses (2,488).

Is German rising or falling?

Rank movement and count movement can disagree — the number of distinct names in use keeps growing, so a name holding a steady count still slides down the list. Both are shown.

Rank vs 1 year ago
+112
Places climbed
Rank vs 5 years ago
−112
Places dropped
Rank vs 10 years ago
−348
Places dropped
Births vs 10 years ago
0.72×
Fewer babies than then
Share of its own peak
36.8%
Peak was 1991 (304)
Years since peak
34
Years
Year-to-year steadiness
Steady
10.1% average annual change
Best rank ever
#581
1991

Spellings of German

German is not the most common spelling — Norman is, with 51.2% against German's 2.1%.

Grouped by closeness of spelling (up to two letter changes), same sex, with a floor on all-time use. It catches Sophia/Sofia and Aiden/Ayden, and misses spellings that sound alike but look different, like Sean and Shawn.

Where German is used

Across 2016–2025, German was most concentrated in Arizona — about 1 in 3,571 boys, against 1 in 9,737 across all states with data. It was least common in Virginia (1 in 100,000).

128 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1Arizona1 in 3,571
  2. 2California1 in 5,882
  3. 3Texas1 in 6,250
  4. 4Florida1 in 14,286
  5. 5New Jersey1 in 20,000
  6. 6Illinois1 in 25,000
  7. 7Nevada1 in 25,000
  8. 8New York1 in 25,000

Shading is the share of that state's recorded boys given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings.

German around the world

Where German ranks in official birth records elsewhere in the world. Rankings only — the number of births isn’t comparable between places, so it isn’t shown.

  • France
    1931–2014
    #6,740
    in 2014
  • South Australia
    1972–1972
    #479
    in 1972

Popularity data from Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques and Consumer and Business Services (South Australia). INSEE data under Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0. CBS SA data under CC BY 4.0.

Notable people named German

People whose public names include German, backed by Wikidata given-name records and ordered by linked Wikimedia pages. The name may be a middle name.

People data from Wikidata (CC0). Fame is measured, not judged — the order reflects how widely each person is documented, not the U.S. birth records popularity this page is otherwise about.

German in other languages

Cross-language forms and variants of German. Linked forms have their own page here.

HermanGermainHermannGermano

Variant forms from Wikidata (CC0). Most are used mainly outside the United States; U.S. birth records statistics cover US usage only.

German by the numbers

The raw record for each sex the name is used for.

As a boy's name

Rank in 2025
#1,541
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Down 112
Best rank ever
#581
1991
Peak year
1991
304 that year
First recorded
1882
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
10,290
Count in 2025
112

As a girl's name

Rank in 2025
Unranked
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
—
Best rank ever
#14,259
1993
Peak year
1993
5 that year
First recorded
1993
Last recorded
1993
All-time count
5
Count in 2025
Under 5

Names similar to German

Matched on shared beginnings and endings, similar length, and comparable popularity.

GersonGerryGerritTrumanGerardGeromeFreemanGeremyLymanGeraldoGerardoGeroldColemanSalmanGeronimoArmanGermaineOsmanTillmanGermainGershonFermanAymanRahman

Names with a curve like German

Not spelling — timing. These names rose, peaked and faded in the same years as German, so they read as being from the same moment even when they look nothing alike.

EstevanNestorOctavioCortezMarkusNigelEfrenDonavanCristobalAlexandroJovanTyree

Sibling names for German

Names from the same era and popularity tier — the two things that make a sibling set feel deliberate — skipping lookalike spellings and shared initials.

Explore around German

Top names of 1991, German's peak yearThe 1990s in fullOther names that peaked in 1991Boys' names starting with GBasque Boy NamesRussian Names