German

German - A very unique male name

German appeared on the charts for the first time in 1922 on position #1838. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named German and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name German? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name German. The baby boy name German was given to 67 baby boys in 2025, ranking #1517 on the national boy baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 21,885 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. German peaked in popularity 35 years ago in 1991 on position 577.

Famous with this name

How would you rate German, 1-5?

German is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? German is currently topping the baby name charts in Arizona at position #649 - and is the least popular in Florida at position #1,929.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique German is where you live.

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German origin and meaning

Spanish Germán, from Latin Germanus

Brother — from Latin Germanus, 'brother, full sibling' (also the source of the tribal name)

In American data, German is overwhelmingly the Spanish name Germán without its accent, from Latin Germanus, 'brother,' borne by saints and common across the Spanish-speaking world. It peaked in the United States in 1991. The collision with the English word German — pronounced GER-man, for the country and language — is the name's defining friction in English.

Attested etymology

German is a 6 letter name with 2 syllables.

To see famous people named German, pop culture references for the name German and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to German

We've found the following names that sound similar to German, sorted by popularity.

Graham / Geronimo / Graeme / Germaine / Green / Gurney / Garren / Geremy / Germain / Garin /

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Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about German

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is German a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name German?

2 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

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Pronunciation

hair-MAHN · /hɛərˈmɑːn/
In Spanish use it is hair-MAHN; English readers will almost always say GER-man, the nationality word.

Around the world

• Germán (Spanish) — The name in its accented Spanish form.

Famous bearers

None yet — no bearer for this name is documented well enough for us to list, so we show none rather than pad the list.

Style

International

Why parents choose it

Parents choose German (Germán) for a strong saints' name that is everyday in Spanish and rare in English.

Worth knowing

• In English it will be read as the nationality word German, pronounced GER-man, essentially every time — the accent that prevents this is dropped in US records.