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NAMES

These are the unusual names parents in Germany are giving their newborns

Every year a million completely new names are given to newborns across Germany, according to the German Language Society.

Published: 23 February 2021 11:27 CET
These are the unusual names parents in Germany are giving their newborns
A newborn baby at a hospital in Hamburg. Photo: DPA

Most parents want their child's first name to be something very special. So they browse through books or click through first name Internet portals – and sometimes even use their own imagination.

“You can see that parents are putting more energy into choosing a first name than they used to,” said naming expert Frauke Rüdebusch from the German Language Society (GfdS) in Wiesbaden. 

As a result, there are more and more newly-created first names. “We have just under ten million individual names in our database, and a good million new names are added every year,” she said.

Newly created first names such as Bennimilia, Jisildis, Julix, Laurelie or Sonek, for example, were given to babies in 2020. 

“They sound like names, and you can also usually tell if it's a name for a girl or a boy,” the linguist explained. 

READ ALSO: The very strangest surnames in the German telephone book

That’s an important prerequisite for these fantasy names to be recognised by the Standesämter (registry offices). 

In Germany, parents must apply to have their new child’s name approved at one of these offices, and a major reason for rejection is not being able to tell the gender of the child.

In cases of doubt, the Standesämter often asks the name researchers at GfdS for advice.

Overall, GfdS does not recommend five to 10 percent of the names they receive, said Rüdebusch. They include proposals such as Kiddo, Maybee, Berate and Churasko. 

But that’s not all. “Lamborghini we rejected. As well as Corvette, Borussia and Lucifer. Or names like King, Count or Prince,” said Rüdebusch. 

In general, nobility names were also not accepted. However, in about half of the rejections, a compromise is worked out with the parents. On average, the number of names that are given only one time in a year is five percent.

But many parents continue to stick with common or traditional names. In 2020, Emma, Sophia, Lina, Ella, Mila, Clara and Lea landed among the top ten names for girls. Among the boys, Noah, Finn, Leon, Elias, Paul, Henry, Luis and Felix made it onto the list.

READ ALSO: These are Germany's most popular baby names for 2020

Vocabulary

First name – (der) Vorname

Reject – ablehnen

Cases of doubt – (die) Zweifelsfälle

Work (something) out – erbeiten

We're aiming to help our readers improve their German by translating vocabulary from some of our news stories. Did you find this article useful? Let us know.

 

Member comments

  1. “Every year a million completely new names are given to newborns across Germany”

    Given that less than a million children are born each year in Germany, this couldn’t possibly be true.

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LIVING IN GERMANY

Living in Germany: Battles over Bürgergeld, rolling the ‘die’ and carnival lingo

From the push to reform long-term unemployment benefits to the lingo you need to know as Carnival season kicks off, we look at the highlights of life in Germany.

Published: 14 November 2022 09:54 CET
Living in Germany: Battles over Bürgergeld, rolling the 'die' and carnival lingo

Deadlock looms as debates over Bürgergeld heat up 

Following a vote in the Bundestag on Thursday, the government’s planned reforms to long-term unemployment benefits are one step closer to becoming reality. Replacing the controversial Hartz IV system, Bürgergeld (or Citizens’ Allowance) is intended to be a fair bit easier on claimants.

Not only will the monthly payment be raised from €449 to €502, but jobseekers will also be given a grace period of two years before checks are carried out on the size of their apartment or savings of up to €60,000. The system will also move away from sanctions with a so-called “trust period” of six months, during which benefits won’t be docked at all – except in very extreme circumstances. 

Speaking in parliament, Labour Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) said the spirit of the new system was “solidarity, trust and encouragement” and praised the fact that Bürgergeld would help people get back into the job market with funding for training and education. But not everyone is happy about the changes. In particular, politicians from the opposition CDU/CSU parties have responded with outrage at the move away from sanctions.

CDU leader Friedrich Merz has even branded the system a step towards “unconditional Basic Income” and argued that nobody will be incentivised to return to work. 

The CDU and CSU are now threatening to block the Bürgergeld legislation when it’s put to a vote in the Bundesrat on Monday. With the conservatives controlling most of the federal states – and thus most of the seats in the upper house – things could get interesting. Be sure to keep an eye out for our coverage in the coming weeks to see how the saga unfolds. 

Tweet of the week

When you first start learning German, picking the right article to use can truly be a roll of the “die” – so we’re entirely on board with this slightly unconventional way to decide whether you’re in a “der”, “die”, or “das” situation. (Warning: this may not improve your German.) 

Where is this?

Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Boris Roessler

Residents of Frankfurt am Main and the surrounding area will no doubt recognise this as the charming town of Kronberg, which is nestled at the foot of the Taunus mountains.

This atmospheric scene was snapped on Friday morning, when a drop in temperatures saw Kronberg and surrounding forests shrouded in autumnal fog.

After a decidedly warm start to November, the mercury is expected to drop into single digits over the weekend. 

Did you know?

November 11th marked the start of carnival season in Germany. But did you know that there’s a whole set of lingo to go along with the tradition? And it all depends on where you are. First of all, the celebration isn’t called the same thing everywhere. In the Rhineland, it’s usually called Karneval, while people in Bavaria or Saxony tend to call it Fasching. Those in Hesse and Saarland usually call it Fastnacht. 

And depending on where you are, there are different things to shout. The ‘fools call’ you’ll hear in Cologne is “Alaaf!” If you move away from Cologne, you’ll hear “Helau!” This is the traditional cry in the carnival strongholds of Düsseldorf and Mainz, as well as in some other German cities.

In the Swabian-Alemannic language region in the southwest of the country, people yell “Narri-Narro”, which means “I’m a fool, you’re a fool”. In Saarland at the French border, they shout “Alleh hopp!”, which is said to originate from the French language. 

Lastly, if someone offers you a Fastnachtskrapfe, say yes because it’s a jelly-filled carnival donut. And if you’re offered a Bützchen? It’s your call, but know that it’s a little kiss given to strangers!

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