German name

German names consist of one or several Vornamen ("given names") and a Nachname (Familienname, "family name"). The Vorname is gender-specific.

Vorname

The Vorname ("given name" or "forename", literally "pre-name") is given to a child by the parents shortly after birth but not in all cases. It is common to give a child several Vornamen, particularly for girls and among Catholics. Usually, one of them is meant to be normally used and called the Rufname ("calling name"). This is often underlined on official documents, as it is often the second or third name in a list, even though it is the person's main name: the idea of "first" names being more important than "middle" names, as in some other cultures, is unknown.

The Rufname is usually chosen because it sounds pleasing to the parents. Additional names (zweiter Vorname etc., second given name) may be given by traditional Catholic parents in order to "bond" with saints of these names to "enlist" them as protectors. Also, it is common to use the Rufnamen of relatives, whom the parents want to honor, as additional names (often with the hope or expectation in mind that these (maybe well-off) relatives might support the child later). A third reason might be to give the child later the chance to choose one of the other given names as his or her Rufname.

Most people, when giving their name, specify only the Rufname and the Nachname. Some specify a second name in full or, very rarely and then influenced by US practice, as a middle initial.

At least one of these has to be gender specific; the others may be neutral (but nearly all German names are gender specific). One must not give a name usually used for the opposite sex, with the sole exception of Maria (German for "Mary") as second name for boys, e.g., Klaus Maria Brandauer. (This is in respect of tradition among Roman Catholics.)

It is fairly uncommon to use shortened names officially (like "Bill Gates" instead of "William H. Gates, III"). So even if all of Benjamin's friends call him "Ben", he will always write his name as "Benjamin".

Germany is a bit more restrictive than some other countries in what names are allowed. The basic rule is that a name has to be known as a name for persons and must not be newly invented. Also, it must be decent in the sense that it cannot be considered offensive and derogative and so later pose a problem for the bearer.

It is up to the Standesbeamter (the officer/clerk of the public authority for registering births, marriages, deaths etc.) to judge whether a name is allowed. For unusual names he might ask for precedent cases. (For example, until Chelsea Clinton became known in Germany, "Chelsea" would probably have been rejected, because it would have been considered the name of a place and not a person. Immigrants often ask their embassy to testify that the desired name is accepted within their country.) Of course, parents disagreeing with a Standesbeamter's rejection can appeal to a court (which usually gives rise to satiric articles in the newspapers about the strange names some people insist on).

Nachname

Most Nachnamen consist of only one word. Titles of former aristocrats (like Graf for "Count") have become parts of the Nachname in Germany, giving longer names of several words, usually including a von (meaning "of"). In Austria these titles have been totally abolished, even particles like von. The use of titles of nobility is punishable. For example, Otto von Habsburg, Austria-Hungary's last crown prince is referred to as Otto Habsburg in Austria. In Switzerland, titles of nobility can be used in private conversation, but are not officially recognised.

Traditionally, the wife adopts her husband's Nachname on marriage and drops her own. However, due to the legal equality of sexes, the opposite is possible as well, though rare. More commonly, the spouses combine their Nachnamen by a hyphen, and so one of them (or both) then bears a double name (Doppelname). (There is a limit of only one hyphen in a name.) In the 1990s, the law was changed to allow both partners to keep their Nachname. All children of a family have to receive the same non-hyphenated Nachname at birth, which may be either the mother's or the father's Nachname (traditionally it was the father's).

If a son bears the same Vorname as his father (which is quite uncommon in most areas of Germany), he might add a Jun. after his Nachname, and father might put a Sen. The usage of "III" in case of three consecutive equal first names as in the US is unknown. Roman numbers are considered reserved for monarchs and popes.

Künstlername

Pseudonyms (Künstlernamen) can be used by artists and monks. If a pseudonym is widely known in public it can be added to the passport of that person and be used instead of the original name. The same field in the passport also serves to show religious names, i.e. the new name somebody takes on when becoming a monk or nun.

Grades and titles

The academic grades of Doktor (Dr.) and Professor (Prof.) are not considered part of the name in Germany and only the Dr. grade might be entered into an identity card. In Austria, this is substantially different.

They are, however, always used in a written address (e.g., Dr. Meier, Prof. Dr. Müller), and will often be used in formal speech or sometimes by lower-ranked persons such as students, though many academics prefer being addressed just like anyone else, i.e. by Herr or Frau alone (see below).

Hofname

In rural areas it is common that farmers are known by the traditional name of their farm (which often has been kept the same over centuries) rather than their Nachname. Although the Hofname is not an official name, people know it rather than the Nachname. In cases where Nachname and Hofname are not identical (usually because there was no male heir at some point in the family history) they are joined in official documents by genannt (abbr. gen.), e.g. Amann gen. Behmann.

Change

There are only four circumstances in which one is allowed to change one's name:

1. On marriage: the couple can choose the name of one of the partners, or combine the two names, or they can keep their original names.
2. Correction of a name: if the state has made an error with the name and this can be proved, the original name can be restored. Example: "Maſs" became "Mahs" and is corrected to "Mass".
3. Unfortunate name: If a name is considered to be offensive (like "Hitler" or "Adolf", or if it is a swear word) it can be replaced by a better name.
4. Gender reassignment in case of transsexuals.

The entry of a Doktor grade (in Germany) or any other academic grade (in Austria) into one's identity card is not considered a change of name.

Order of names and use of articles

The Nachname is put after the Vorname. In the rural use of several regions where heavy dialect is spoken (i.e. Bavaria, Saxony, the Palatinate or the Saarland), the order is reversed, e.g. "Mühlbach Klaus" instead of "Klaus Mühlbach". The definite article, varying with the dialect, is also typically added in this style of naming.

Except for the North of Germany, usage of the definite article with the name outside of dialect is very common. It is considered familiar language, but not as a mark of rough, rural manners as in French. It is used especially when talking of and/or with children, but also in some other situations. As a rule of thumb, the article is usually only used when referring to a person who is still alive and with whom one is at least casually acquainted.

In some dialects (such as those spoken in the Western Palatinate and parts of the Rhineland), the article used with women's and girls' names is not the female, but the neuter article. This is because the German word for "girl", Mädchen, is a neuter noun, due to the suffix -chen.

Addressing people

German is a language with T-V distinction. It is common that people who are informally addressed with du (friends, relatives, children) are also called by their first name, while people who are formally addressed with Sie are called by their last name, with Herr or Frau ("Mr." and "Mrs.") put in front. When addressing nobility, these 'bourgeois' addresses are dropped and the title (such as Graf or Freifrau) is used instead of Herr or Frau.

At the transition from childhood to adulthood, one might be called in a third form, namely using Sie with the first name (Hamburger Sie). This is how highschool teachers may address their pupils from the 10th or 11th form (age 16/17) onwards, and parents might rarely use the same way to address their teenage children's friends if they do not know them since childhood. (Rarer occasions of this are the teacher, who meets a former pupil again as adult, or some talk-show hosts.) This usage is considered somewhat highbrow; noted humourist Max Goldt has remarked that this is the way upper-class parents would address their daughter's boyfriend over the breakfast table. Usage of Sie for family members or even among engaged couples has become extremely rare and considered the pinnacle of stiff, old-fashioned etiquette.

The opposite form, i.e. du with the last name (Berliner Du) is frequently used among retail workers wearing badges with just their title and last name (e.g., Herr Schmidt, Frau Müller), who will address each other in the colloquial way while, for convenience, sticking to the name form on the badge. It is also common among kindergarten teachers which thus address each other the same way small children, who are yet to learn the Du/Sie distinction, address them. The latter usage is a product of pedagogical reform in the 1960s and 1970s; before, children in kindergarten addressed their teachers as Tante ("aunt") or Onkel ("uncle") and with their first names.

The form Fräulein (meaning "Miss", literally "little-Missus") to designate an unmarried woman is not considered politically correct anymore and thus has fallen out of official use. A minority of women, especially elderly unmarried women, may still insist on being addressed in this manner (seeing it as a honorific rather than a discrimination), but most consider it to be somewhat offensive.

External links

• Real Name Creator Generates randomly a German personal name
• German baby names A database with all German names