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German

boy name
Origin
Spanish
Syllables
2
Peak era
1980s/2020s
Today
▬ Steady

Torn between German and another name? Compare them side by side →

Meaning

“Spanish form of Germanus, Latin for 'brother'”

How popular is German around the world?

In the United States, 697 babies were named German between 2020 and 2025. In Montevideo, 17 boys named German were born in 2011, spelling variants counted together.

German is on the official records of the United States, Montevideo, Spain, Argentina, Chile, Mexico City, Austria, Poland and Brazil.

United States

1 in 31,000

In the United States, 697 babies were named German between 2020 and 2025.

1890speak 1980s2020s

Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. German peaked in the 1980s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.

Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration

See the full list for the United States →

Montevideo City

1 in 1,400 · 2011

In Montevideo, 17 boys named German were born in 2011, spelling variants counted together.

1940peak 19852011

share of that year’s births on record

Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial

See the full list for Montevideo →

Spain

1 in 1,900

In Spain, 24,059 residents are named German, the 134th most common name among men, with a mean age of 46.9 years.

Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025

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Argentina

1 in 3,800

In Argentina, 173 newborns were given the name German in 2024.

peak 20122024

share of that year’s name registrations

Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024

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Chile

1 in 4,800

In Chile, 37 boys were registered as German in 2021, every accent spelling counted together, most often written Germán.

peak 19372021

share of that year’s name registrations

First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021

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Mexico City City

1 in 6,500

In Mexico City, there were 18 registrations of German in 2022.

peak 20002022

share of that year’s registrations in the city

Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023 (1 registration through 3 Mar) is excluded as partial. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023

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Austria

1 in 76,000

In Austria, 1 boy named German was born in 2025, ranked 1,842nd among boys that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.

Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)

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Poland

1 in 120,000

In Poland, 2 boys named German were born in 2025, the 705th most common name among boys that year.
The count never rose above 5 in a year, too few to chart.

First names given to children born in Poland by year of birth, 2000–2025, from the PESEL population register (Ministry of Digital Affairs); exact spellings count separately (Łukasz and Lukasz are different names), names given fewer than 5 times in a year were left off the list through 2012 and fewer than 2 times from 2013, and the register also counts children born abroad, so its yearly sums run above Poland’s live births. Shares divide by the register’s own published total for the year, never by births. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)

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Brazil

1 in 330,000

At the 2022 census, 622 people in Brazil were named German, ranked 11,515th, with a median age of 40.
Among people named German living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1980s than in any other decade.

1940speak 1980s2010s

people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth

People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022

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Puerto Rico

last on record 2010

German is not on the 2025 record for Puerto Rico, which withholds births under 5, and 102 babies have carried the name there since 1998.

peak 19982025

share of that year’s births on record

First given name only, from Social Security records of births in Puerto Rico; any name-sex-year under 5 births is withheld at source. Shares divide by the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry’s count of births on the island; the 2025 count is provisional. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, territory name file (Puerto Rico)

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South Australia

last on record 1972

German is not on the 2017 record for South Australia, whose registry publishes every name given that year.
The count never rose above 1 in a year, too few to chart.

Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names

See the full list for South Australia →

Not on the record in England and Wales, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and Scotland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.

Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.

All records: the most popular baby names around the world →

When you meet German

Most people given the name German in the United States were born between 1980 and 2009. The German you meet today is most often in his 20s or 30s.

Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.

Names that fit alongside German

Cruz Ramiro Nicolas Rolando Carlos Adolfo

The German deep dive

Written for you · $1.99 →

Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where German truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how German fits with your family’s names and surname.

Both reports, explained →

Does German fit YOUR family?

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