German
Masculine · “kinsman”
German is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 10,290 boys against 5 girls since 1880.
German in Spanish is not the nationality — Germán is a Germanic name meaning kinsman, and the accent on the last syllable is what separates the two words.
How old is the name German?
German first appears in US birth records in 1882 — 143 years ago. The typical German alive today was born around 1996, making them about 29 years old. About 9,600 people named German are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name German most popular?
German peaked in 1991, reaching #581 nationally. Today it ranks #1539, 958 places below that high. See the whole 1991 chart.
German appears on this list:
Where it comes from
From germanus to German
The story of German
Saint Germanus of Auxerre was a fifth-century bishop who traveled to Britain to combat Pelagianism and is remembered in place names there. Spanish took Germán and it became an ordinary name across Spain and Latin America. Spanish-speaking families brought it to the United States, where it appears steadily and is in current use.
Meaningscholars disagree
kinsman, brother
Usually read from the Germanic ger, 'spear', and man, 'man'. A second and commoner Spanish account derives it from the Latin germanus, 'of the same parents' — the word behind hermano, the Spanish for brother. Both are documented; the Latin reading is the one Spanish speakers give.
How the name formed
- germanus
- Germanus
- Germán
Related forms: Germán · Germain · Germano · German
Pronouncing German
her-MAHN
Two syllables, stress on the second. Spanish gives the g an h sound; the English nationality word is JUR-mun with the stress at the front.
Nicknames for German
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1882
- Most boys named
- 2001274 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #581reached in 1991
- Change vs 2023
- −8.9%112 in 2025, from 123
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
German in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Germán in Spanish — same name
- Germain in French — related form
- Germano in Italian — related form
- German in Russian — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Arizona.
Germans among us
people named German are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 15,251 born in 2025 was named German
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Americo test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. German's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Americo climbed just as high around 1917, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Americo's path sketches the road German is walking now.
German sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where German is headed
German should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
German beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to German in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The kinsman meaning is warm and the link to hermano is transparent to Spanish speakers.
- A documented fifth-century bishop with a British connection stands behind it.
- It is standard in Spanish, French, Italian and Russian in related forms.
- In English it reads as a nationality, which it is not.
- The accent is routinely dropped in American records, which loses the distinction.
- The initial consonant differs between Spanish and English readings.
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What they receive
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German
Masculine · #1539 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Germans are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 9,600 people named German are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name German in 2025?
- German ranks #1539 among US boy names in 2025, with 112 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name German?
- About 1 in every 15,251 US boys born in 2025 was named German — 112 in all.
- Will my child share the name German with classmates?
- German will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside German
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Adnan#1539 · Tahj#1539 · Monty#1539 · Lahiam#1539 · Xavi#1539 · Zyan#1539 · Eason#1539 · Shea#1547
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles German? See the current top 100.
Choosing between German and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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