66 Most Common German Last Names & Their Meanings

German is the most widely spoken mother tongue in the EU. So, I have hand-picked the 66 most common German last names and their meanings.

List Of 66 German Last Names:

Hoffmann

It is composed of the German words hof (farm) and mann (man). E.T.A. Hoffmann wrote The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.

Müller

Müller is a German occupational surname for “miller.” Möller and Miller are different variants.

Schröder

Schröder has its origins in the Low German verb “schroden” and means ”chop” or ”cut.” It is basically an occupational name for a tailor.

Schmidt

Schmidt is an occupational last name for a metalworker or blacksmith. Harald Schmidt released his first book, Tränen im Aquarium, in 1993.

Neumann

It is a nickname for ”a newcomer” or ”a settler.” Variants include Nyeman, Neiman, Nauman, and Naumann. The English form of the name is Newman.

Schneider

Schneider is an occupational name for a tailor. It is very popular in the German lands of Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Hesse, and Saxony.

Wolf

Wolf is a common name among Germanic-speaking peoples and is symbolizing “wolf-like” or “strong one.”

Fischer

It is the 4th most common German surname. Fischer means fisherman. The English version is Fisher. in 1972, Bobby Fischer defeated Boris Spassky to become the world chess champion.

Fuchs

Botanist Leonhard Fuchs gave his name to the fuchsia flower. This surname is German for fox.

Kaiser

It is the title that was used by Austrian and German emperors and is from the Roman name Caesar. The Russian tsar is from the same source.

Zimmermann

It is a German occupational surname for a carpenter.

Weber

Weber is another German occupational name, this time for a weaver. Albrecht Weber was a member of the Academy of Sciences of Berlin.

Richter

Richter is German for “judge.” It is common in Saxony and Brandenburg.

Meyer

Meyer is derived from Latin maior domus, which is interpreted as “headman of a household.” It is equivalent to the English Steward. Variations include Miers, Myer, Mair, Meyr, Mayr, Meier, Maier, Mayer, and Meijer.

Facts about the German language

Johann Christoph Adelung wrote the first German dictionary.

German is the official language in Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Austria.

Middle High German was the language of an extensive literature

English and German share 60% of their vocabulary.

It is the 4th most commonly learned second language globally.

Wagner

Wagner comes from the Germanic occupational family name Waganari, meaning (“wagon driver” – one who transported produce – or “wagonmaker”.

Lange

Lange was used as a nickname for an individual with long limbs. It means tall one and has its origins in the Old German word ”lang.” Lange is especially found in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern or Brandenburg.

Becker

”Baker.” Former professional tennis player Boris Becker was ranked as the world No. 1 by the ATP.

Möller

Möller is an occupational name, meaning miller.

Schulz

Schulz is in the top 10 most common German last names. It used to refer to the village headman.

Schmitz

”Metalworker” or ”blacksmith.”

Schäfer

Meaning “shepherd,” Schäfer comes from the word “schäfer.” Variants that I like are Schäffer and Shaefer.

Krause

It is a nickname from Middle High German krus, “curly”. Krause is an interesting choice if you’re looking for something special.

Koch

From Middle High German koch, Koch is interpreted as ”cook.”

How to choose a good German name for your baby

In Germany, baby names must be approved by the Standesamt (German civil registration office). For example, the name cannot be associated with evil.

You don’t want your child to be named something extremely common. However, you can look for unusual names that are still easy to pronounce

Take a moment to write the full name on a clean sheet of paper.

Think about it before you decide to give in to trends.

Bauer

Bauer comes from Middle High German būr, meaning farmer or peasant.

Schumacher

Schuh (”shoe”) and Macher (maker). When I hear Schumacher I jump to Formula 1 and Michael Schumacher’s 7 world titles.

<h3″>Winter

Winter comes from the Old High German word wintar.

Kraft

”Force” or ”power.”

Lehmann

Lehmann is popular in Brandenburg and Saxony. It signifies a ”feudal tenant.”

Klein

Klein comes from the word “klein” (small). Painter Anna Klein graduated from the Königliche Kunstgewerbeschule München.

Schulze

”Head of village.”

Schwarz

Meaning ”black,” Schwarz has its origins in the German ”schwarz.” Billionaire businessman Dieter Schwarz is the former CEO of the supermarket chain Lidl.

Herrmann

From the elements heri (army) and mann (man), Herrmann is symbolizing ”soldier.”

Kühn

Kühn is from Middle High German küene and is symbolizing ”daring” or ”bold.”

Graf

It is a historical title of the German nobility. In 1988 Steffi Graf won all 4 majors and Olympic gold.

Jäger

Jäger means huntsman and is from jagen, to hunt.

Braun

”Brown.” Braun GmbH is a German consumer products company founded in 1921.

Mayer

Mayer means superior or higher.

Krüger

Krüger is an occupational German name that means tavern owner. Astronomer Adalbert Krueger was editor of Astronomische Nachrichten.

Scholz

Scholz is derived from Schultheiß (mayor).

Hartmann

Hartmann is made from the Germanic word “hart”(hard) and “Mann” (person).

König

Koenig means king or ruler.

Wilhelm

Wilhelm is made from will (that means ”resolve”) and helm (”helmet” or ”protection”). William is the English variant.

Adler

”Eagle” is the meaning of Adler.

Busch

”Bush” or ”thicket” and Bosch has a similar root.

Schmitt

Blacksmith.

Werner

Werner symbolizes “protector of the army.” The French variant is Guernier, while the English is Warner.

Meier

It means a steward or tenant farmer and comes from Latin maior (”greater”).

Keller

Keller is from the Latin cellarius that means “cellarman”. The trade turned it into a surname.

Vogel

Vogel is the German word for bird.

Roth

”Redhead” and is from Middle High German rot.

Berger

“Mountain dweller”.

Weiß

Weiß was initially a nickname for a pale person.

Jung

It means ”young.” Carl Jung is the founder of analytical psychology and was married to Emma Rauschenbach.

Hahn

”Rooster.” In 1944 Otto Hahn won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Schuster

Schuster has roots in the Middle High German schuochsūtære (“cobbler”).

Schubert

Schubert is made from schuoch (means ”shoe”) and würhte (”maker”).

Ziegler

Ziegler is from Ziegel, the German for brick or tile, which has origins in Latin tegula.

Brandt

”To burn” or ”fire.” Willy Brandt was the West German chancellor and 1971 Nobel Peace laureate.

Haase

Haase, also spelled Haas, was a nickname for ”a quick runner.”

Vogt

Vogt comes from Latin advocatus and means a reeve or bailiff.

Sommer

From the word ”sumar.”

Engel

Engel (”angel”) is a variation of Engelbert.

Pfeiffer

“Flute player.” Michelle Pfeiffer was nominated for three Academy Awards.

Böhm

“Bohemian.” Bohemia is the land now in the western Czech Republic. Böhme and Bohm are forms that I like.

Ackermann

Ackermann (”plowman”) combines Acker (means ”field”) and Mann (”man”). Plowman was an individual who worked the arable ground.

Stein

It means ”stone.”