200 Most Common German Last Names & Their Meanings

German is the most widely spoken mother tongue in the EU. So, I have hand-picked the 200 most common German last names and their meanings.

List Of Most Common German Last Names With Meanings:

Hoffmann

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

Stark

Strong.

Schweizer

”Swiss.”

Baumgartner

”Orchard keeper.” Baumgartner is a skydiver who jumped from the stratosphere.

Gruber

”Pit dweller,” and Franz Gruber wrote music for Silent Night.

Ritter

Knight, and a physicist who found ultraviolet light.

Bayer

A Bavarian.

Müller

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

Dürer

It comes from Türer, ”door maker,” a German form of Hungarian Ajtósi.

Michel

”Who is like God?” Der deutsche Michel, a sleepy man in a nightcap, personifies Germany.

Walter

It combines wald, rule, and heri, ”army.”

Meister

Master.

Sperling

”Sparrow.”

Schröder

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

Mann

”Man,” and a novelist who wrote The Magic Mountain.

Förster

Forester.

Ernst

Max Ernst (“serious”) co-founded Dada in Cologne.

Kiefer

Pine tree, or a cooper.

Blum

”Flower”.

Kunz

From Konrad, ”bold counsel.”

Schmidt

”Metalworker” or ”blacksmith.” Harald Schmidt released his first book, Tränen im Aquarium, in 1993.

Rudolph

It is made of hrod, fame, and wolf.

Brauer

Brewer.

Hauptmann

Gerhart Hauptmann (“captain”) wrote The Weavers, a play about starving Silesian weavers.

Bader

”Bathhouse keeper,” or a healer who let blood.

Storch

”Stork.”

Neumann

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

Zander

Pike-perch, or a short form of Alexander.

Kurz

Short.

Kirchner

”Sexton,” as well as a painter who co-founded Die Brücke.

Friedrich

From fridu, peace, and rihhi, ruler.

Friese

”Frisian.”

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

”Fisherman.” The English version is Fisher. in 1972, Bobby Fischer defeated Boris Spassky to become the world chess champion.

Fuchs

Botanist Leonhard Fuchs gave it to the fuchsia flower. It is German for fox.

Donner

”Thunder,” and a pioneer party trapped by snow in Sierra Nevada.

Lustig

Merry.

Ullrich

Jan Ullrich (“prosperity and power”) won Tour de France.

Schlosser

”Locksmith.”

Eisenhauer

”Iron hewer,” and how Dwight Eisenhower’s German ancestors spelled it.

Kaiser

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

Zimmermann

”Carpenter.”

Weber

”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. Save

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.

Dachs

Badger, as in dachshund, a badger dog.

Schiller

From schilhen, to squint. Friedrich Schiller wrote Ode to Joy.

Gerber

”Tanner”.

Marx

”Of Mars”.

Strauß

Ostrich, or a bunch of flowers.

Facts about the German language

Johann Christoph Adelung wrote the first German dictionary.

It 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.

Wagner

Wagner comes from Waganari, “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.

Gast

Guest, or a stranger in town.

Herbst

Autumn.

Ohm

Ohm comes from Oheim, ”uncle,” and is now a unit of electrical resistance.

Reinhardt

Django Reinhardt (“brave counsel”) played jazz guitar with two working fingers on one hand.

Drechsler

”Wood turner”.

Becker

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

Möller

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.

Götz

”God’s peace,” and a knight who fought with an iron hand.

Bischoff

”Bishop.”

Ebert

Friedrich Ebert (“strong boar”) was Germany’s first president.

Wirth

Innkeeper.

Hirsch

Stag.

Brückner

From brücke, bridge, for someone who lived by one.

Krause

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.”

Bauer

”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.

Scherer

Sheep shearer, cloth shearer, barber or surgeon.

Schindler

Oskar Schindler (“shingle maker”) saved more than a thousand Jews.

Hansen

Son of Hans.

Pfeffer

Pepper.

Gerhardt

It combines ger, ”spear,” and hart, hard.

Eichhorn

”Squirrel.”

Ebner

From eben, ”flat,” for someone living on level ground.

Kohl

Helmut Kohl (“cabbage”) was chancellor when Germany reunited.

Klug

Clever.

Heinrich

From heim, home, and rihhi, ”ruler.”

Geiger

”Fiddler,” and a counter that clicks near radiation.

Pfaff

Priest, or someone who served one.

Schwab

A Swabian.

Kürschner

”Furrier.”

Fürst

”Prince.”

Hertz

”Heart,” and now a unit of frequency.

Döring

”Thuringian”.

Winter

Winter comes from the Old High German word wintar.

Kraft

”Force” or ”power.”

Lehmann

Lehmann (feudal tenant”) is popular in Brandenburg and Saxony.

Klein

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

Schulze

”Head of village.”

Schwarz

”Black.” Schwarz has its origins in ”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.”

Seifert

It has origins in Siegfried, ”victory and peace.”

Freitag

”Friday.”

Knecht

”Boy, servant, squire or soldier.” Same root as English knight.

Fromm

Erich Fromm (“pious”) wrote The Art of Loving.

Rabe

”Raven.”

Graf

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

Jäger

”Huntsman,” and is from jagen, to hunt.

Braun

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

Mayer

Superior or higher.

Krüger

”Tavern owner.” Astronomer Adalbert Krueger was editor of Astronomische Nachrichten.

Scholz

Scholz is derived from Schultheiß (mayor).

Hartmann

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

König

King or ruler.

Wilhelm

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

Rademacher

”Wheelwright.”

Kästner

Erich Kästner (“granary keeper”) wrote Emil and the Detectives.

Knoblauch

”Garlic.”

Sachs

Saxon.

Brecht

Bright, and a playwright who wrote Mother Courage.

Adler

”Eagle” is the meaning of Adler.

Busch

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

Schmitt

Blacksmith.

Werner

“Protector of the army.” French variant is Guernier, while the English is Warner.

Meier

”Steward” or ”tenant farmer,” and comes from Latin maior (”greater”).

Keller

Keller is from the Latin cellarius, “cellarman”.

Vogel

Vogel is the German word for bird.

Roth

”Redhead”.

Berger

“Mountain dweller”.

Weiß

Weiß was initially a nickname for a pale person.

Jung

”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

From schuochsūtære (“cobbler”).

Schubert

Schubert is made from schuoch (”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, 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 (”field”) and Mann (”man”). Plowman was an individual who worked the arable ground.

Stein

”Stone.”

Huber

A huobe was a farmstead held from a lord, and Huber is the man who worked it.

Otto

Aud, ”wealth.” Nikolaus Otto manufactured the four-stroke gas engine in 1876.

Lorenz

Lorenz comes from Laurentius, Latin for ”a man from Laurentum”.

Arnold

Arn (”eagle”) and wald (rule). Arnold of Soissons is the patron of hop pickers and brewers. I’d put this one first for anyone who homebrews.

Seidel

“Beer mug” or “wooden drinking vessel.”

Pohl

Pohl was a Pole in Silesia and Prussia.

Günther

Gund, battle, and heri, army. In the Nibelungenlied, King Gunther wins Brunhild with Siegfried’s help.

Sauer

Sauer is the word for sour and it’s pronounced ZOW-er.

Winkler

Winkel is the word for a corner, so a Winkler had a corner shop.

Ludwig

Ludwig is made of hlud (”famous.”) and wig (”battle”). Diminutives are Wiggerl and Lutz.

Köhler

Kohle, coal, gave the Köhler his trade: burning wood into charcoal. Köhlerglaube (”the charcoal burner’s faith”) is the German idiom for blind belief.

Dietrich

Theud (people) and ric (ruler).

Frank

”Free man”. In 1360 France minted the first franc to pay the ransom of King John II.

Kaufmann

Kaufmann is symbolizing ”merchant.” It pairs kaufen, to buy, with Mann.

Horn

”An individual who made items out of animal horns.”

Schreiber

Schreiben, to write, is the root of Schreiber. It was used by scribes and town clerks.

Baumann

”Farmer” from bû, the tilling of land, and Mann.

Maurer

”Mason,” the man who built with stone.

Herzog

”Duke.”

Fink

Fink is the word for finch. I love it for how short and clean it sounds.

Lindner

A Lindner lived by a linden tree.

Hesse

”A person from Hesse.”

Krämer

Kram, household goods, has origins to the Krämer, a peddler or shopkeeper.

Stahl

Steel was the smith who worked it.

Schütz

Schütze, marksman.

Marschall

From marah, ”horse,” and scalc, servant. English marshal comes from it.

Hauser

Kaspar Hauser (“house dweller”) showed up in Nuremberg claiming he was raised in a dark cell.

Grimm

”Fierce,” and two brothers who collected Rapunzel and Snow White.

Kahl

Bald.

Freund

”Friend,” or a kinsman.

Kolb

”Club,” or a man with closely cropped hair.

Kirsch

Cherry.

Kepler

Johannes Kepler (“cap maker”) found three laws of planetary motion.

Stolz

”Proud”.

Wiegand

From wigant, ”warrior.”

Nussbaum

”Walnut tree”.

Bach

”Brook.”

Preuß

A Prussian.

Katz

”Cat,” or a Hebrew acronym for kohen tzedek, righteous priest.

Glöckner

”Bell ringer.”

Trautmann

Bert Trautmann (“beloved man”) finished an FA Cup final with a broken neck.

Burkhardt

It is made of burg, fortress, and hart, strong.

Löwe

”Lion.”

Thaler

From tal, ”valley”. A coin with this name is where English dollar comes from.

Kessler

Kettle maker, or a wandering tinker.

Krebs

”Crab,” and a cycle in every biology textbook.

Selig

”Blessed”.

Seiler

Rope maker.

Gottschalk

It combines got, God, and scalc, ”servant.”

Fröhlich

Cheerful.

Ehrlich

Paul Ehrlich (“honest”) made Salvarsan, an early cure for syphilis.

Westphal

”A Westphalian.”

Moser

”Bog dweller.”

Groß

Big, thick, stout or great.

Pichler

It comes from Bichl, a Bavarian word for hill.

Hecht

”Pike,” or a greedy man.

Morgenstern

”Morning star,” as well as a spiked medieval mace.

Specht

Woodpecker.

Töpfer

”Potter.”