German Boy Names

A long-haired classical conductor name, which could appeal to parents looking for a Laszlo-like appellation. A name of Slavic origin, it has a powerful and uplifting meaning.

Slightly more modern than Walter, but only just.

Heinz has become a cartoonish German name, prone to ketchup teasing.

A German surname name deriving from the same root as English Ryder. Traditionally, it was the name of the second lowest hereditary rank of the nobility, roughly equivalent to English Baronet. Notable associations are British actor Paul Ritter and a popular European chocolate brand.

Though you might have been a fan of tennis star Chris Evert, stick with EVERETT, which everyone will think you're saying anyway.

Has a rather heavy surname feel.

Theodoric feels prehistoric, though with short form Theo one of the hottest names around, this old German names for boys may soon feel new again.

Prospective parents tend to respond more to the softer American pronunciation than the harsher German one, and even more to the Scandinavian version (see GUNNAR).

German philosopher and revolutionary socialist Karl Marx will be most people's immediate association with this uncommon name. The author of The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital is widely considered to be the father of international communism.

This is one of the least known or used of the Theo names, quite possibly because of its last syllable. In Samuel Butler's 1903 novel The Way of All Flesh, there is a clergyman character named Theobald Pontifex.

This surname-name originated as a nickname for redheads.

This is a rarely heard multi-cultural name, related to a 14th century Jewish scholar named Kalonymous ben Kalonymous, who translated important texts from Arabic to Hebrew. It is also a Hungarian derivative of Colman, via the Latin Columba, meaning dove, and was the name of a 12th century king of Hungary. Its modern sound make it an interesting option.

The way Wilhelm is pronounced anyway, so a pointless spelling variation.

The American child given this name of four kings of Denmark, not to mention one so similar to that of the Harry Potter archvillain Lord Voldemort, might have to pay a large emotional import tax.

Probably intended as a variant spelling of Kyle, this German word (meaning "wedge") is not used as a name there.

Irrevocably tied to long-lived, controversial South Carolina senator Strom (born James) Thurman; Strom, which sounds like an anagram of Storm, was his mother's maiden name. With a stretch, you might consider this one of the German names for boysthat's also a nature name.