First name (Germany)
In Germany, the first name of a person refers to the part of the name that does not express belonging to a family (i.e. not the family name ), but describes them within the family. A person can have several first names. In German , the first names (as individual names) come before the family name (apart from regional exceptions).
A person's first name is usually determined by his or her parents after birth. There are regulations that more or less restrict the freedom of choosing a first name. The choice of first names is subject to fashions . When choosing a first name, parents can use the first name encyclopedias as a guide, books that, according to Kunze, are among the long-term bestsellers in the book market.
The nickname is the first name (s) under which people are normally addressed.
Historical and geographical development
For the history related to the German-speaking area see first name # German-speaking area .
Renaissance and Reformation
The most common given names in Germany in the 16th century were: Johann / Johannes, Georg, Heinrich, Hans, Christoph, Friedrich, Philipp, Wilhelm, Andreas, Jakob / Jacob, Joachim, Hermann, Martin, Michael, Ludwig, Peter, Caspar, Paul, Anton, Christian; Anna, Maria / Marie, Elisabeth, Katharina / Catharina, Dorothea, Agnes, Magdalene / Magdalena, Sophie, Christine / Christina, Hedwig, Sibylle / Sibylla, Sophia, Barbara, Margarete / Margaretha, Johanna, Eleonore, Ursula, Charlotte, Eva.
17th and 18th centuries
The most common first names in Germany in the 17th century were: Johann, Friedrich, Heinrich, Georg, Christian, Christoph, Wilhelm, Ludwig, Ernst, Philipp, Karl / Carl, Franz, Joachim, Hans, Anton, August, Otto, Adam, Hermann, Andreas, Bernhard; Maria / Marie, Anna, Elisabeth, Sophie, Dorothea, Charlotte, Katharina / Catharina, Eleonore, Amalie / Amalia, Christine, Magdalena, Luise, Henriette, Hedwig, Johanna, Juliane, Sibylla, Sophia, Wilhelmine, Barbara.
The most common given names in Germany in the 18th century were: Johann, Karl / Carl, Friedrich, Georg, Wilhelm, Heinrich, Christian, Franz, Ludwig, August, Ernst, Joseph, Ferdinand, Philipp, Anton, Gustav, Christoph, Hans, Peter, Otto; Maria / Marie, Caroline / Karoline, Luise / Louise, Charlotte, Sophie, Anna, Friederike, Henriette, Amalie, Elisabeth / Elise, Johanna, Wilhelmine, Marianne, Auguste, Dorothea, Christiane, Juliane, Katharina, Julie, Therese.
19th century
The most common given names in Germany in the 19th century were: Karl / Carl, Friedrich / Fritz, Wilhelm, Hans, Heinrich, Hermann, Otto, Ernst, Paul, Georg, Max, Franz, Ludwig, August, Rudolf, Adolf, Gustav, Richard, Johann, Julius, Theodor; Marie / Maria, Elisabeth / Else, Anna, Margarete, Helene, Gertrud, Luise / Louise, Hedwig, Auguste, Johanna, Sophie, Charlotte, Clara, Mathilde, Emma, Martha, Ida, Bertha, Frieda, Julie, Käthe.
20th century and present
The most common first names in Germany in the 20th century were: Hans, Peter, Wolfgang, Klaus, Michael, Karl, Jürgen, Heinz, Thomas, Werner, Walter, Ernst, Franz, Paul, Kurt, Helmut, Herbert, Hermann, Andreas, Dieter; Barbara, Ursula, Maria, Susanne, Elisabeth, Monika, Petra, Karin, Sabine, Claudia, Renate, Eva, Gabriele, Anna, Brigitte, Helga, Christine, Gisela, Ruth, Ulrike.
Although different names enjoyed the greatest popularity in both parts of Germany ( Peggy , Mandy and Ronny are often cited examples for the GDR ), the tendency was the same in both countries.
In the second half of the 20th century, the popularity of the French given name Nadine suddenly increased in Germany . The reason for this can be found in the TV series Hardness 10 broadcast by ARD from the end of 1974 , with Olga Georges-Picot as "Nadine Mercier" in the female lead.
First name choice by region
The occurrence of special first names in different regions of Germany indicates regional first name preferences. The distribution in Germany according to the 1998 telephone directory shows that the male first names Hauke and Carsten are found particularly in northern Germany, while Katharina and Maria are mainly found in Bavaria and the Eifel. Gerold and Jan are typical for East Frisia , while Anton and Xaver only occur in southern Germany. Stefan and Alexander are mainly found in the West and Frank and Kerstin are mainly popular in the East. For some names, such as Josef and Josefa , the distribution of denominations in the respective region has a strong effect on the name frequency.
Thuringia
In Thuringia and some other areas in Germany it was possible to have two or more children from the same family, sometimes all living at the same time, baptized with the same first name. A distinction was then made between "Big Hans" and "Little Hans". Sometimes the same name is only secondary or apparent if a part of the name of a double name such as "Johann Christoph" was lost or forgotten in practical use and a new double name was often "invented" when this person married or died. Genealogical research is made more difficult (see also dead point ).
Ostfriesland
In the East Frisian region it was common until the 1970s to give the firstborn son the name of the paternal grandfather. For his part, the grandfather was given the addition "-Ohm", which was felt to be honorable. The same applied to female names, the girl was given the name of her grandmother, the ancestor herself was addressed with the addition “-möh”. This regulation is hardly practiced anymore.
- example
- Grandfather: Hinrich, father: Harm, son: Hinrich. The grandfather became "Hinrich-Ohm".
- Grandmother: Gertje, mother: Jantje, daughter: Gertje. The grandmother then became “Gertje-Möh”.
Southern Germany
In the southern German and East Saxon language areas, the first name is sometimes placed after the family name in colloquial language , such as "der Köhlers Werner" or "der Köhler Werner". Although the family member name is no longer in front of the family name in these cases, it is still the first name of members of Western cultures .
Legal situation
Naming and changing
The right to name is not regulated by law in Germany. It is customary and judicial law . Exceptions exist in the case of first name changes within the framework of an adoption ( § 1757 Abs. 4 BGB) as well as within the framework of the Transsexual Act (§ 1 TSG).
After the birth of a child, its first name is determined by the parents (or the sole custodian ). However, there are certain guidelines for naming it.
The first name …
- ... must be recognizable as a first name
- ... no longer has to be clearly male or female, as it was until 2008, but can also be neutral.
- ... must not harm the best interests of the child by making the child look ridiculous or establishing a connection " to evil ", as by naming them Judas or Cain . The first name Adolf , on the other hand, may be registrable in Germany, despite the heavy burden of the dictator Adolf Hitler, depending on the parents' motives.
- ... must not violate the religious feeling of fellow human beings, for example Christ and earlier also Jesus (approved as first name by OLG Frankfurt 20 W 149/98).
- ... must not be a widespread place name or brand name.
- ... cannot be a family name. Exceptions have been made in particular for East Frisian intermediate names (for example "ten Doornkaat" BGH StAZ 1959, 210 ff) and for very rare, unusual surnames (for example Wannek, Birkenfeld), and of course for family names that are mainly known as first names ( like Gerhart).
- ... must not denote a title like lord or princess.
- ... must be determined within one month after the birth (Section 22 (1) of the Civil Status Act ).
A person can have several, but must have at least one first name. According to a decision of the Federal Constitutional Court , the district court may limit the number of first names of a child for the benefit of the child (in this case the mother was only allowed to give her child five first names instead of twelve). If several first names are used, the first name with which the person is mainly addressed (“called”) is referred to as the “first name”. The order of the first names does not represent a ranking. According to the highest court rulings (BGH, decision of April 15, 1959 - IV ZB 286/58), in Germany the name bearer is free to choose between his civilly registered names. A nickname is therefore not fixed unchangeably.
A child's names must be different from those of their siblings. If several first names are assigned, one may correspond to that of the siblings (BayObLGZ 1985, 362–368). Three first names should not be combined with a hyphen to form a first name (Jan-Marius-Severin; StAZ 1982, 46–47).
In the case of the gender connection of the first name, an older service instruction was rejected by a judgment of the Federal Constitutional Court. According to Section 262 (4) of the service instructions for registrars and their supervisory authorities, the first name should be clearly male or female. If a first name raises doubts about the gender of the child, the registrar should demand that the child be accompanied by another first name to rule out the doubt. Established names such as Toni , Sascha , Nicola , Ashley , Robin , Andrea are an exception. A long-standing exception to gender identification is the assignment of the female middle name Maria to a boy (BGHZ 30, 132-140; meanwhile even with Hyphen permitted: Claus-Maria, AG Traunstein 10 UR III 61/92; Johannes-Marie, AG Mönchengladbach 15 III 7/97). In contrast, the Federal Constitutional Court ruled in 2008 that the law does not limit the choice of parental first name to a gender-related name. The above-mentioned service instructions are therefore not binding for parents. The choice of the parents' first name only finds its limits where there is a risk to the child's welfare, which "can be assumed if the chosen first name obviously does not give the child the opportunity to identify himself with his gender on the basis of the first name" .
In Germany, in exceptional cases, it is possible to have your first name changed afterwards. This falls under the responsibility of the name change authority, which is located either at the registry office , the district administration or the public order office . In order for the first name to be changed, certain criteria must be met. For example, foreign first names can be Germanized after naturalization or, if this is not possible, new first names can be chosen (Art. 47 EGBGB). There is also the option of having the first name changed if someone has always been called differently and cannot come to terms with his exotic first name.
Transsexual people can further the after Transsexuellengesetz can change their name, so he that gender identity ( gender equivalent).
First names in the personal documents
In the identity cards and passports of the Federal Republic of Germany, all first names of the person have been and will be entered in the “First names” field in the order in which they appear from left to right in the birth certificate. In the machine-readable zone ( MRZ ; on ID cards on the back, in passports at the bottom on the front of the passport card), however, only one first name was entered until October 31, 2010 . This was usually the first name, unless the applicant requested a first name other than "first name ".
Following international standards based on recommendations by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) , the composition of the name in the MRZ has been determined according to a uniform procedure since October 2010 . With effect from November 1, 2010, all first names on the birth certificate will therefore be entered accordingly in the MRZ . In cases in which it is not possible to enter all first names due to the limited number of characters in the MRZ , the family name is entered first, followed by the first names from the birth certificate, if possible.
Use of first names
The first names entered in the birth certificate may be used by the name bearers in private legal and business dealings as they wish and have equal rights. While in the Federal Republic of Germany there is no longer any distinction between given names and other given names, in some federal states and also in the GDR until reunification, given names were underlined in birth certificates and ID cards. Simply using the first name is not sufficient when it comes to the legally binding nature of a signature . Exceptions can exist with bishops and in legal relations between relatives.
Court decisions on first names
| First name | Decision content | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Aiwara | registrable as a female first name | StAZ 1989, 381 |
| Birch field | Can be registered as a male first name | NJW-RR 2000, 1170-1171 |
| Boy | Can be registered as a male first name | StAZ 2001, 110 |
| Cheyenne Emma Katharina | registrable as a female first name | StAZ 1995, 300 |
| Cosma Shiva | registrable as a female first name | StAZ 1994, 117 |
| Danny | Can be registered as the sole male first name | StAZ 2008, 108-109 |
| Dior | registrable as a female first name | StAZ 1995, 299-300 |
| Djehad (read: Jihad ) | Can be registered as a male first name | KG, 1 W 93/07 |
| Domino Carina | registrable as a female first name | StAZ 1991, 321 |
| Emanuele | Can be registered as the sole male first name | StAZ 2006, 171 |
| Emily Extra | registrable as a female first name | Schleswig-Holstein Higher Regional Court 2 W 110/03 |
| Fanta | registrable as a female first name | StAZ 1999, 147-148 |
| Galaxina | registrable as a female first name | StAZ 1994, 117 |
| Gerrit | Can be registered as a male first name | StAZ 1998, 322–323 |
| Ibanez Sophie | registrable as a female first name | StAZ 1997, 40 |
| Jasmin Heide Kaur | registrable as a female first name | OLG Stuttgart 8 W 566/87 |
| jazz | Can be registered as a male first name | StAZ 1999, 149-150 |
| Jedida | registrable as a female first name | StAZ 1989, 381 |
| Quay | Can be registered as the sole first name for a boy | OLGR Hamm 2005, 51-53 |
| Kiana Lemetri | registrable as a female first name | StAZ 1999, 147 |
| Kiran | Can be registered as the sole first name for both genders | BVerfG, 1 BvR 576/07 of December 5, 2008 |
| Colleague | Can be registered as a male first name | StAZ 1998, 127 |
| Lafayette | Can be registered as a male first name | StAZ 1992, 378 |
| Latoya | registrable as a female first name | StAZ 1993, 357, contrary decision StAZ 1994, 195 |
| Leines | Can be registered as a male first name | StAZ 2001, 327 |
| LouAnn | registrable as a female first name | StAZ 2004, 45-46 |
| Luka / Luca | Can be registered as the sole male first name | NJW-RR 2005, 874-876, OLGR Frankfurt 2004, 322-323 |
| Luetke | registrable as a third male first name | BGH decision of April 30, 2008 AZ. XII ZB 5/08 = NJW 2008, 2500-2502 |
| Maitreyi Padma | registrable as a female first name | NJW-RR 1988, 74-74 |
| Max Amos Soma Xam | Can be registered as a male first name | StAZ 1984, 129-129 |
| Merle | registrable as the sole female first name | StAZ 1998, 346-347 |
| Meva | registrable as a female first name | StAZ 2003/16 |
| Michael Cougar | Can be registered as a male first name | StAZ 1992, 144 |
| Nicola Andrea | Can be registered as a male first name | StAZ 1983, 15-16, NJW-RR 1995, 773-774 |
| Nikita Katharina | registrable as a female first name | StAZ 1995, 298 |
| November | Can be registered as a first name for both genders | LG Bonn 4 T 202/06 |
| oleander | Can be registered as a male first name | StAZ 1983, 351-352 |
| Marie Jasmin Pepples | registrable as a female first name | StAZ 1993, 356-357 |
| Pumuckl | Can be registered as a male first name | NJW 1984, 1360-1362 |
| Ranjo | Can be registered as a male first name | StAZ 1986, 355-355 |
| Rike Leontes Klarissa | registrable as a female first name | AG Karlsruhe UR III 155/86 |
| Roi | Can be registered as a male first name | StAZ 1998, 345-346 |
| Sasha | Can be registered as the sole male first name | NJW-RR 1990, 9-10 |
| Sun Dance | Can be registered as a male first name | StAZ 2001, 177–178 |
| Sunshine | registrable as a female first name | Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court 3 Wx 437/88 |
| Sweer | Can be registered as a male first name | StAZ 1998, 346 |
| Tamy Sarelle | registrable as a female first name | NJW-RR 1988, 712-713 |
| Tanisha | registrable as a female first name | StAZ 1996, 47 |
| Wannek | Can be registered as a male first name | StAZ 1992, 72 |
| Wind bride | registrable as a female first name | StAZ 1985, 166-167 |
| First name | Decision content | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| alpha | Can be registered as a male first name if a second, clearly male first name is added | StAZ 1984, 281-282 |
| Eike | Can be registered as a male first name if a second, clearly male first name is added | NJW-RR 1989, 1030-1032 |
| Godot | Can be registered as a male first name if a second, clearly male first name is added | NJW-RR 1997, 834-835 |
| Brat | Can be registered as a female first name if a second, clearly female first name is added | Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court 3 Wx 170/95 |
| Jonah / Jonah | Can be registered for both genders with additional gender-specific first names | StAZ 2002, 42–43 |
| London | Can be registered for both genders with additional gender-specific first names | StAZ 2012, 244–245 |
| Lynik | Can be registered as a female first name if a second, clearly female first name is added | StAZ 1992, 312-313 |
| mikado | Can be registered as a male first name if a second, clearly male first name is added | StAZ 1998, 209-210 |
| Mike | Can be registered as a female first name if a second, clearly female first name is added | OLGR Frankfurt 1996, 247-248 |
| Prestigious | Can be registered as a female first name if a second, clearly female first name is added | MDR 1998, 416 |
| River | registrable with a second, gender-specific first name | StAZ 1998, 208-209 |
| Sun | Can be registered as a female first name if a second, clearly female first name is added | BayObLGZ 1994, 191-195 |
| Tjorven | Can be registered as a male first name if a second, clearly male first name is added | OLGR Hamm 2001, 195–197 |
| Uragano | Can be registered as a female first name if a second, clearly female first name is added | BayObLGR 1997, 39 |
| Zeta | Can be registered as a female first name if a second, clearly female first name is added | StAZ 1990, 197-198 |
| Zooey | Can be registered as a male first name if a second, clearly male first name is added | StAZ 2005, 18 |
| First name | Decision content | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ana | Not registrable as a male first name | StAZ 1984, 129-129 |
| Aora | Not registrable as a first name | StAZ 1984, 282-282 |
| Atomic peace | Not registrable as a first name | Hamburg District Court , February, 1964 |
| Beauregard | Not registrable as a male first name | StAZ 1989, 379-380 |
| Borussia | Not registrable as a first name | AG Kassel 765 III 56/96 |
| Browns | (Mother's maiden name) cannot be entered as a first name | StAZ 1986, 286-287 |
| Cezanne | Not registrable as a first name | OLGR Karlsruhe 1999, 226-227 |
| Christian | Cannot be registered as a first name for a boy even in combination with a clearly male first name | FamRZ 1993, 357 |
| Peace With God Alone Through Jesus Christ | to be entered as the male first name (but only because it was worn for a long time in the country of origin South Africa) | Higher Regional Court Bremen 1 W 49/95, StAZ 1996, 0086 |
| Heike | rejected as the sole first name for southern Germany because the gender is not sufficiently recognizable | NJW 1982, 2262-2262 |
| Hemingway | Not registrable as a first name | StAZ 1985, 250-251 |
| Heydrich | Not registrable as a first name | StAZ 1994, 317 |
| Holgerson | As a first name not registrable because it is used as a typical family name in Sweden (there, however, with a double s , as Holgersson ) | OLGZ 1992, 45-47 |
| Jedidja | Not registrable as a female first name | StAZ 1989, 380-381 |
| Jenevje | as a Germanization of the French first name "Genevieve" as a female first name not registrable | StAZ 1994, 288 |
| Josephin | not registrable as the sole first name for a girl | NJW-RR 1994, 580-581 |
| Lafayette Vangelis | Not registrable as a male first name | StAZ 1984, 130-131 |
| Lindbergh | Not registrable as a first name | StAZ 2007, 179-180 |
| lord | Not registrable as a first name | FamRZ 1993, 1242-1243 |
| Marey | Not registrable as a male first name | StAZ 1995, 330 |
| Mechipchamueh | Not registrable as a first name | StAZ 1999, 44-45 |
| Micha | not registrable as the sole male first name | StAZ 1993, 355 |
| Mika | not registrable as the sole male first name | StAZ 2007, 179 |
| Gull | Not registrable as a first name | BayObLGZ 1986, 171-174 |
| Moon unit | Not registrable as a first name | AG Schöneberg 70 III 387/87 |
| Navajo | Not registrable as a first name | StAZ 1995, 45-46 |
| Pan | Not registrable as a first name | StAZ 1978, 184-185 |
| Peterson , Petersohn , Laurens-Peterson | not registrable as a first name | StAZ 1987, 139-139 |
| peppermint | Not registrable as a first name | StAZ 1997, 40 |
| Pushkin | Not registrable as a female first name | StAZ 1983, 351-351 |
| Ronit | not registrable as the sole female first name | StAZ 1993, 321-322 |
| pink | Not registrable as a male first name | StAZ 1993, 50 |
| Rose heart | Not registrable as a first name | StAZ 1994, 118 |
| Schröder | Not registrable as a first name | OLGZ 1985, 154-156 |
| Stompie | Not registrable as a first name | StAZ 1990, 73-74 |
| Stone | Not registrable as a first name | StAZ 1994, 195 |
| Tom Tom | Not registrable as a first name | StAZ 1991, 255 |
| Distribution mix | Not registrable as a first name | StAZ 1990, 200 |
| Wegwanipiu | Not registrable as a first name | StAZ 1997, 380 |
| Woodstock | Not registrable as a first name | StAZ 1990, 74-75 |
See also
- List of German first names from the Bible
- List of German first names of Germanic origin
- List of Bavarian first names
literature
General:
- Michael Mitterauer : Ahnen und Heilige , Munich 1993, ISBN 3-406-37643-6 .
- Dieter Geuenich u. Ingo Runde (Ed.): Name and Society in the Early Middle Ages. Personal names as indicators of linguistic, ethnic, social and cultural group affiliations of their wearers . (= German name research based on linguistic history 2), Hildesheim / Zurich / New York 2006, ISBN 3-487-13106-4 .
- Dieter Geuenich, Wolfgang Haubrichs , Jörg Jarnut (eds.): Nomen et gens. On the historical significance of early medieval personal names . Berlin u. New York 1997, ISBN 3-11-015809-4 .
Given names lexicons, German:
- Hans Bahlow: German name dictionary. Family and first names explained according to their origin and meaning. Gondrom Verlag, Bindlach 1993. ISBN 3-8112-0294-4 .
- Andreas Brosch: Our first names - and what they tell us. 1500 names from biblical to modern , Brunnen Verlag, Giessen 2018, ISBN 978-3-7655-0995-7 .
- Margit Eberhard-Wabnitz, Horst Leisering: Knaur's first name book. Origin and meaning. Lexicographical Institute, Munich 1984.
- Rosa and Volker Kohlheim (editor): Duden. The great first name dictionary. 3rd, completely revised edition. Dudenverlag, Mannheim / Zurich 2007, reprint 2012. ISBN 978-3-411-06083-2 .
Given names lexicons, German regional:
- Reinhold Trautmann: The old Prussian personal names . 1925.
Web links
- Most popular first names in Germany and first name advice from the Society for the German Language
- First names and name days from Germany, Switzerland and around the world
- First names with an onogram - how names are perceived.
- Name Lexikon (English)
- Maps for the geographical distribution of each individual nickname (in Germany)
- Muslim first names and their meanings
- First names and historical popularity of first names
Individual evidence
- ^ Konrad Kunze: dtv-Atlas onenology. First and last names in the German-speaking area. 5th, revised and corrected edition. Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag Munich 2004, page 13. ISBN 3-423-03266-9 .
- ^ The GDR and the West: Transnational Relations 1949–1989 Ulrich Pfeil , Ch. Links Verlag, 2001, ISBN 3-86153-244-1 , p. 18, here p. 18
- ↑ Distribution in Germany according to the 1998 telephone directory ( Memento from December 15, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ a b BVerfG, chamber decision of the Second Chamber of the First Senate dated December 5, 2008 - 1 BvR 576/07 .
- ↑ Can you actually ...... call your child "Adolf"? Article of the news channel n-tv from March 13, 2016. Accessed March 23, 2017.
- ↑ Decision of the Federal Constitutional Court 1 BvR 691/03 from 2005 on the approval of the name "Anderson"
- ↑ 1 BvR 994/98, decision of 2004 on Chenekwahow Tecumseh Migiskau kioma Ernesto
- ↑ a b c First and first names in passports and ID cards . On: bmi.bund.de
- ↑ Parents are allowed to name their son "Djehad"
- ↑ The mirror 48/1964 Sana for the child , accessed on April 30, 2014.
- ^ Decisions in church matters since 1946, naming rights, p. 247 online
