German Surnames
German names are used in Germany and other German-speaking areas such as Austria and Switzerland. See also about German names.
672 surnames in our directory
German
672Heppenheimer is a German surname of toponymic origin, derived from the city of Heppenheim in the state of Hesse, Germany. This type of surname, indicaging a person's place of origin or residence, is common in German-spea...
EtymologyHerrmann is a German surname derived from the given name Hermann, which is a German form of Herman. The root name Herman originates from the Old German elements heri meaning "army" and man meaning "person" or "m...
Hersch is a German surname, typically a variant of Hirsch (the German word for "deer") or its Jewish counterpart Hirsch which serves as an ornamental name or a translation of Hebrew Tzvi ("deer"). The origin lies in a ni...
Hertz is a German surname derived from Middle High German herze meaning "heart". It originated as a nickname for a person of great kindness or generosity—literally, a big-hearted individual. The name reflects a common pa...
Herzog is a German surname derived from the noble title meaning "duke" (from Middle High German hērzioge, literally "army leader"). As a nickname, it originally referred to someone who acted like a duke, worked in a duke...
Hiedler is a German surname originating from the southern German word Hiedl, meaning "underground stream". It is primarily known for its historical connection to the family of Adolf Hitler, serving as a variant of the be...
Hintzen is a German surname with patronymic origins, meaning "son of Hintz". Hintz itself is a diminutive of the medieval Germanic personal name Heinrich, which corresponds to the modern English Henry. As a family name,...
EtymologyHirsch 1 is a German surname derived from the Middle High German word hirsch, meaning "deer" or "hart." It originated as a nickname for someone who in some way resembled a deer—perhaps through swiftness, timidit...
Hirschel is a diminutive form of the German surname Hirsch 1 or the Jewish surname Hirsch 2. The root element "Hirsch" means "deer" or "hart" in German, originally serving as a nickname for someone who resembled a deer,...
Hitler is a German surname, a variant of Hiedler. The spelling 'Hitler' was adopted by Alois Hitler, the father of the German dictator Adolf Hitler (1889–1945), when he took the surname of his stepfather Johann Georg Hie...
Hoch is a German surname derived from the German word hoch, meaning "tall" or "high." It likely originated as a nickname for a tall person or as a topographic name for someone living on high ground. The surname is closel...
Hochberg is a German toponymic surname, derived from the elements hoch meaning "high" and Berg meaning "mountain" or "hill." The name originally denoted someone who lived near or came from a place called Hochberg, which...
Hoefler is a surname of German origin, a variant of Hofer. The name Hofer itself is an occupational surname for a farmer, derived from Middle High German hof for a farmstead or court (from Old High German hof "yard, cour...
Hofer is a German surname meaning a warden or manager of landed property. The name generally derives from Middle and later Early New High German Hof in its core meaning of an enclosed landholding or farm, and applied eit...
Hoffman is a surname of German origin, typically an Americanized form of Hoffmann. The original meaning in medieval times was "steward," i.e., one who manages the property of another. The root, Hoffmann, derives from Mid...
Hoffmann is a German surname derived from Middle High German hofmann, meaning "farmer". The name originally denoted a person who worked on a farm or managed a farmstead. In the medieval German-speaking world, the term ho...
Höfler is a German surname, a variant of Hofer, which itself is an occupational name derived from the German word Hof meaning "farm, yard, court." The name thus originally referred to a farmer or someone who worked or li...
Hofmann is a German surname that is a variant of Hoffmann. The root Hoffmann derives from Middle High German hofmann, meaning "farmer" or "courtier" (literally "man of the farm/court"). The spelling variation Hofmann (wi...
EtymologyHofmeister is a surname of German origin. It is a compound of Old High German hof, meaning "yard, court, or house", and meistar, meaning "master", which itself derives from Latin magister. The name thus denotes...
Holland 2 is a surname variant indicating a person from the Dutch province of Holland. The name is of Dutch, English, and German origin, derived from the region's historical name, which meant 'wooded land'. The variant '...
Holtz is a German surname that serves as a cognate of the English and Scandinavian surname Holt. Both names derive from a common Germanic root meaning "forest", referring to a person who lived near or in a wooded area. T...
Hölzer is a German surname that is a cognate of Holt. The root name Holt derives from Old English, Old Dutch, and Old Norse holt, meaning "forest" or "wood." In German, the surname Hölzer is connected to the noun Holz ("...
Holzer is a German and Ashkenazi Jewish surname, a cognate of Holt. It derives from the German word Holz meaning "wood" or "forest", and thus may have originated as a topographic name for a forest dweller, an occupationa...
Holzknecht is a German occupational surname meaning "servant of the wood" or "forester's helper," derived from the Old High German elements holz ("wood") and kneht ("servant, apprentice"). It refers to a person who assis...
Holzmann is a German surname with occupational and topographical origins. The name is derived from the Old High German words holz 'wood' and man 'man', denoting someone who lived near a wood or worked with wood, such as...
Hoover is an Americanized form of the German surname Huber, which is an occupational name for a farmer or landowner. The root "Huber" derives from the Old High German word huoba, meaning "plot of land, farm." The name un...
Horn is a surname with origins in Old English, Old High German, and Old Norse, derived from the word horn meaning “horn.” Originally, it was an occupational name for a person who carved objects from horn or played a horn...
Hüber is a German surname, a variant of Huber, which is an occupational name for a farmer. The name originates from the Old High German term huoba, meaning "plot of land" or "farm." In medieval times, a Huober (or Huber)...
Etymology and OriginsHuber is a German occupational surname, derived from the Old High German word huoba, meaning "plot of land" or "farm." It refers to a farmer who owned or worked a Hube (a hide), a unit of land that g...
Huffman is a surname of German origin, an Americanized form of Hoffmann. The root name Hoffmann derives from Middle High German hofmann, meaning "farmer" — literally a person who worked or lived on a manor or farmstead (...
Huffmann is a variant of the German surname Hoffmann, which originates from the Middle High German hofmann, meaning "farmer" — specifically, a peasant who worked on a noble's estate or a farm steward. The name Hoffmann i...
Hummel 1 is a Dutch and German surname, derived from the given name Humbert. In earlier times, it was a patronymic or occupational surname, indicating a relationship to someone bearing the first name Humbert.Etymology an...
Hummel is a surname of Dutch and German origin, deriving from a nickname for a busy, bustling person. The name comes from Middle Low German and Middle Dutch hommel and Middle High German hummel, all meaning "bee." The be...
Hutmacher is a German surname serving as a cognate of the Dutch Hoedemaker. Both names derive from an occupational term for a maker of hats: Hut in German and hoed in Dutch mean "hat," combined with macher or maker ("mak...
Ingersleben is a German habitational surname, derived from the placename Ingersleben, a municipality in the Börde district of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The place name itself originates from Old High German, combining the p...
Jaeger is a German surname, a variant of Jäger, meaning "hunter" in German. The root derives from Old High German jagon ("to hunt"), reflecting an occupational origin for those who worked as hunters in medieval times. Th...
Jäger (also spelled Jaeger and Jager) is a German surname meaning "hunter" in modern German. It derives from the Middle High German jeger, from Old High German jagon ("to hunt"), with the addition of the agent suffix -er...
Jager is a Dutch and German surname, being a variant of Jäger. The root name Jäger means "hunter" in German, deriving from Old High German jagon meaning "to hunt". The spelling Jager without umlaut is common in Dutch and...
Jahn is a German surname originating as a Low German short form of the given name Johannes, which is the Latin form of Greek Ioannes (see John). The root John derives from the Hebrew name יוֹחָנָן (Yoḥanan), meaning "Yah...
Jans is a Dutch and German surname with a straightforward patronymic origin: it means "son of Jan 1." The name Jan in turn is a form of Johannes, which ultimately derives from John. Thus, Jans is one of many surnames in...
Janson is a surname found in Dutch, English, German, and Swedish cultures. It is a patronymic name meaning "son of Jan," with the element -son indicating filial descent. Jan itself is a form of Johannes, the Latin versio...
Janz is a German surname meaning "son of Jan," a form of Johannes, which ultimately derives from the Hebrew name John (Yoḥanan), meaning "Yahweh is gracious." As a patronymic surname, it indicates lineage from a male anc...
Jöllenbeck is a German surname of toponymic origin, derived from a village in western Germany. The village's name itself comes from the Jölle, a small river, coupled with the Low German element beck, meaning "stream." Th...
Jordan 1 is an English surname derived from the given name Jordan. The surname likely originated as a patronymic or toponymic name, referring to someone descended from a person named Jordan or someone living near the Jor...
Jundt is a German surname derived from a diminutive of the feminine given name Judith. The name Judith itself originates from the Hebrew name יְהוּדִית (Yehuḏiṯ), meaning "Jewish woman," ultimately referencing a person f...
Jung 1 is a German surname meaning "young" in German, derived from Middle High German junc. It originated as a distinguishing epithet for the younger of two individuals sharing the same given name, typically a son or a j...
Junge is a German surname, a variant of Jung 1, which means "young" in German, from Middle High German junc. As a topographic or nickname surname, it likely originated as a descriptor for the younger of two individuals s...
Kahler is a German surname derived from the Middle High German word kal or kahl, meaning "bald." It originated as a nickname for a man who was bald or had a shaved head. The name is part of a broader onomastic tradition...
Kalb is a German surname derived from the Middle High German word kalb, meaning "calf" (the young of a cow). It originated as an occupational name for a calf herder, or simply as a nickname for someone associated with or...
Kalbfleisch is a German occupational surname for a butcher who specialized in veal, derived from the elements Kalb (“calf”) and Fleisch (“meat”). The name translates literally to “calf meat” or “veal.” It belongs to a cl...
Kappel is a German and Dutch surname of topographic or occupational origin, derived from the Middle Low German and Middle High German word kappelle, meaning "chapel" or "small church." The term itself originates from Lat...
Kästner is a German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word kaste, meaning "box", combined with the agent suffix -ner. It thus denotes a "cabinet maker" or someone who makes wooden boxes or chests....
Kaube is a German surname derived from the name of the town of Kaub, located in the Rhine Gorge region of western Germany. As a habitational surname, it would have originally been given to someone who hailed from Kaub or...
Käufer is a German occupational surname. It originates as a variant of Kaufer, both of which trace back to the German noun Käufer, meaning “buyer” or “shopper.” The name is derived from the Middle High German verb kaufen...
Kaufer is a German surname meaning "trader" or "merchant," derived from the German word kaufen (to buy). It originallly referred to a person involved in commerce, much like the English surname "Chapman." The name is an o...
Kauffmann is a variant of the German surname Kaufmann, which means "merchant" or "trader." The double-f spelling is a common orthographic variation, primarily found in German-speaking regions and also adopted by some Jew...
Kaufman is a German surname, whose variant is Kaufmann, meaning "trader, merchant" in German. It originated as an occupational surname for a merchant or shopkeeper. The name is found among both Germans and Ashkenazi Jews...
Kaufmann is a German occupational surname meaning "trader, merchant" in German. It is derived from the Middle High German term kaufman, which itself comes from kauf ("trade, purchase") and mann ("man"). As such, the name...
Keil is a German surname derived from the Middle High German word kīl (and Old High German kīl), meaning a wedge. The term is related to the Proto-Germanic element meaning “to split,” emphasizing the wedge’s splitting fu...
EtymologyKeller is a German surname derived from Middle High German kellære, meaning "cellar". It originated as an occupational name for a person who managed the food and drink supplies, often in a noble household or mon...