The Best German Baby Names VS. The Worst German Baby Names to Give Your Child in 2022

[@evabock]

Most of the "very typical" German names you listed are names which were modern quite a while ago. Basically if you meet Elke, Harald or Detlef, you can bet they are 55+

[@minchen_2265]

My Dads name is Detlef 😅and yes.. he's 55+

[@adamosak6864]

My cousin is named Elke

[@silmuffin86]

It's the same in Italy. The reason why some names (Kevin, Michael, Ryan, Chantal, Jennifer, Samantha...) are considered white trash, it's because often English names are chosen by uneducated "interesting" families who think using a name they heard in a movie or TV serie is cooler than using a name in their own language. And they often mispell those names as well 🙈 BTW we chose Emma for our first, it may be common according to statistics, but we've only met another child named Emma so far, and since we move a lot it's perfect, it wasn't misspelled or mispronounced in Germany, it isn't in Italy when we visit my family, and it's perfect in English as well 😊 It's literally the same in every language

[@sns4748]

Yeah Emma is a great name here in Germany too but not too common

[@arnodobler1096]

The Kevin diagnosis thing I brought once in a larger round - without knowing that the young woman next to me has a son named Kevin - it was silence for a moment! A week later I met the son. I mentally said, "There's something to this!" It´s like Karen in the US But it certainly doesn't apply to everyone!

[@tasminoben686]

Moin Arno, wünsch dir schöne Pfingsten! Ich hoffe, bei euch ist das Wetter auch so gut wie es bei uns heute hier ist. Morgen oder übermorgen soll es wohl ziemlich heftig werden hier. Mal sehen, ändern können wir es ja sowieso nicht. LG Ben

[@arnodobler1096]

@@tasminoben686 Hallo mein Freund Ben! Ja heute war schön - mit der ganzen Nacht Regen, so wie es sein soll! Ja bin gespannt auf die nächsten Tage in meiner Dachwohnung, da versteht man manchmal sein eigenes Wort nicht mehr, so laut - aber hat was! Ich liebe die Kraft der Natur - solang sie keine Opfer kostet. Aber die Natur bringt uns immer wieder auf den Boden der Tatsachen zurück, oder? immer eine Handbreit Wasser unter dem Kiel!🙋‍♂️ PS kennst du das Video Dicke Titten von Rammstein?

[@arnodobler1096]

@@tasminoben686 Hallo Ben, bei mir geht es gerade los (Dachwohnung), da schläfst nimmer! Viel Glück!

[@tasminoben686]

Moin Arno, hier ist es jetzt 9:30 Uhr und bei uns ist nichts los! Nicht besonders warm, aber auch nicht besonders kalt und vor allen Dingen trocken. Bin gespannt ob das heute so bleibt, habe noch kein Wetterbericht gehört. Drücke dir die Daumen das alles heil bleibt! Grüße Ben

[@arnodobler1096]

@@tasminoben686 Moin moin. Es sah heute früh nach Weltuntergang aus - nach einer halben Stunde war alles vorbei 😂

[@AnSe902]

Do you know what an Alphakevin is? 😃 Some time ago at a supermarket I came across a mother with her two little sons named Philipp and Jonas. When I reached the cash register a couple of minutes later there was another mom with her sons waiting. These boys were named Bruce and Jason and I immediately thought: "Well, I'm pretty sure which kids have the more favourable social prognosis." Probably quite harsh of me to think that way. 🤐

[@lifeingermany_]

Hahah I guess when you’re taught to think that way in germany, then it’s only normal 🙈🙈 I’ve never heard of an Alphakevin haha

[@elliieeify3796]

@@lifeingermany_ an Alphakevin is a leader of Kevins. The Alpha of a group of Kevins. Basically the king of the fools, beeing the most silliest of them 😅

[@AntoinetteEmily]

Aww a little girl!!! How exciting!! Can't wait to hear what you end up calling her. I'm so sorry to hear you're having such a tough pregnancy. I can only imagine how difficult bed rest must be, especially as a mama. Sending you lots of love and strength. You've got this! I can totally relate to the baby name struggles! Rob and I could hardly agree on anything (My hubby's name is Robert BTW but I shorten it to Rob which is apparently considered ''Trashy'' here in Germany 😂Who would have thought right? I almost cried when I found out Emilia and Matteo were BOTH number 1 in Germany! I don't think Matteo was even in the top 50 when we named him and I thought it was actually pretty unique at the time (apparently it's super unusual for a name to rise so fast in popularity) I must just be ahead of the trends 😉

[@lifeingermany_]

Hahah this idea of “trashy” names is so hard! An ex boyfriend of mine had the name Robert, I also called him Rob and absolutely love the name 🙈 … I feel like I love all the “trashy” names that my husband will never agree on 😂 Thanks for the love and wishes 🥰 and don’t forget if you’re ever in the Düsseldorf area, come and stay with us! 🙃😍

[@kilsestoffel3690]

My parents gave me the very rare name "Silke" in 1971. I was one of three in my class at primary school. And this name seems hard to pronounce for nativ english speaker

[@tasminoben686]

@@kilsestoffel3690 moin, dann bist du ja der selbe Jahrgang wie meine Frau! Die heißt Heike und ist damit überhaupt nicht zufrieden Punktpunkt abgesehen davon, dass für Engländer das gleiche Problem mit der Aussprache ist wie bei deinem Namen. Ähnlich wie bei mir mit Claus! Einer der Gründe, warum ich mich hier auch benenne. Hab schöne Pfingsten!

[@tasminoben686]

@@lifeingermany_ moin, ich finde Nora auch sehr hübsch. Aber ich mag auch deinen Namen sehr gern. Und ich finde auch, dass er ins Deutsche passen würde. Übrigens: Max ist mein Onkel! Meine Tochter heißt Lara, also auch ein Name der sehr international ist und, wie ich finde auch niemals alt wirkt. Meine große heißt Yvonne, auch ein Name den ich mir als eine Lady und als junges Mädchen vorstellen kann. Ich drück dir weiterhin die Daumen für deine Schwangerschaft, wird schon schief gehen! Schöne Pfingsten euch PS: wegen Max Punktpunkt in der Klasse einer meiner Cousinen waren damals gleichzeitig fünf Florians!

[@tasminoben686]

Moin nach Würzburg! Ich finde auch deinen Namen sehr hübsch! Antoinette geht glaube ich auch immer! Aber ich mag auch den Namen deiner Kinder sehr gerne! Wünsche euch schöne Pfingsten!

[@katharinar.4463]

I think why some names are seen as „trash“ is, because those names, mostly English or French names were chosen by people who didn’t know how to pronounce those names properly. So those names became associated with lower income and lower intelligence😏 and then we got a few names like Kevin, who were seen as totally cool ok names, when I started to go to school in the 90s. I don’t know why but every Kevin I knew was a total disaster, not only during classes, but also afterwards it was often difficult to play with them. And then this name got trashed through Media and Comedy. Wishing you all the best for your third trimester and pray for you and your baby girl, to be ok 💜Katy

[@adamosak6864]

At least it's not D'shawn or Quantavius or L'Tylenol like some of the....God I hate being in America sometimes.

[@jochenlutz6524]

Ein Grund für die vielen englischen Namen beruht auf der DDR. Durch die vielen Einschränkungen der Freiheit nutzten viele das Recht auf freie Namenswahl ihrer Kinder.

[@tinak.718]

If a teacher said something like that about a first name, it says more about the teacher than the first name.

[@lifeingermany_]

Right?!?

[@Greebo80]

Naming kids is such a stressful thing. My wife and I went through books and websites and for each of our kids we found barely a handful of names. It was hard because my wife is a teacher for kids with behavioural problems and many names reminded her of difficult children she had worked with. I hope the forced bed rest doesn't drive you too crazy and everything will work out for you guys.

[@t.a.yeah.]

Ooh, I really don't like this argument, unless it's someone of the family or near friends.. I mean, if you name your babie X, you will barely ever think of this child 5 years ago that behaved bad and was named X, will you? This excludes too many names, in my opinion. My boyfriend argues like that too, and my mother did, but now she likes the name of her grandson/my nephew and this rude person from like 30 years ago is forgotten. I also don't like the way of thinking of names in Germany.. at least of actually normal names, that just are not familiar. I would like to call my daughter Katara for example, but because of german name culture I won't do that.. (I just love the sound, the a's, the k t...)

[@jochenlutz6524]

Noch immer liebe ich den Namen, den wir für unsere Tochter ausgesucht haben: Amelie. :-)

[@elliieeify3796]

By the way… you have that too. With Karen ;)

[@elliieeify3796]

Oh my god, how can you name your kid Schmidt? That’s just plain cruelty 😅

[@lissalack1490]

I work in a hospital processing birth certificates here in the U.S. Wow! I have come across some truly bizarre names-how about "Persephone Lemonade"? Yep, this is a real name, Or maybe "Caramel"? Mothers have told me they do not want a boring name. Crazy!

[@geab.2182]

thanks for sharing your child's gender in such a "normal", pleasantly relaxed (not overly ambitiously crazily creative) way :-)

[@lifeingermany_]

😂♥️🥰

[@ifaeeafiify]

"Kevinism" started in 1990 with the films "Home Alone" (in German "Kevin - allein zu Haus") and "Dances with Wolves". There was no such name in Germany before.

[@Cera3]

don't forget "Robin Hood" and "Waterworld" with the then-dreamboat Kevin Costner

[@annekathrinsommer2560]

I had a " Kevin" in my High School class. We both are 1981

[@louise1967]

@@annekathrinsommer2560 So around the time Kevin Keegan was playing in Hamburg.

[@fairgreen42]

@@annekathrinsommer2560 Yep. With emphasis on "a" Kevin, not 8 of them. 😁

[@lyricalaska]

My late husband wanted to name our daughter, "Gudrun." I had to beg, plead and kneel before him to convince him Gloria was a much better name.

[@elliieeify3796]

Was he German?😅

[@mwuerz]

Gudrun is a very respectable name. Little bit older though.

[@Aktivist1000]

In the Czech Republic I know exactly one Kevin. It's a dog. Obviously to be smart when being alone at home.

[@elliieeify3796]

Just imagine how these names are pronounced in German and with a German last name. Than you understand why this will be literal hell for a child 😅 In general, obviously English names. Its just … no. Don’t. Really. It creates this thought of really young parents, choosing an English name because it is „cool“ and they liked that name in their favorite TV show… maybe its like … naming your kids like celebrities. Or Book character names. Hermione is a beautiful name, but people will look at you and think: oh… you OBVIOUSLY really like Harry Potter 😅 Or Frodo… would you name your child Frodo?😅 or Gandalf? Probably not. Its a similar feeling with many English names. If you are from a English speaking country its completely different. THAN it really is cool 😅 but Germans with English names… they … wanna be cool. But wanna be cool, doesn’t mean you are cool😂

[@Herzschreiber]

As a German I have to confess: I hate that "bad names - good names" thing. Even giving a child an "old fashioned name" can cause problems, and that is what I refuse to understand the most. Because: Using an old fashioned name imho isn't a "wrong generation" issue but can be a tribute to a much loved ancestor! Okay, I would not recommend one of the "Kevin, Chantalle group" but simply because I am aware the kids having those names may have to suffer at school, will go through some mobbing and bullying there. But all in all I am convinced that people should be free to name their children just as they want to, as long as the names are common ones and not fantasy stuff which may cause problems to the child! Whishing you the best of luck for you and the one underneath your heart!

[@Misophist]

I can relate to that. In my family, there was sort of a tradition, that the first born got the name first name of his grandfather as a second name. So I got Walter as a second name.

[@peterschmidt4348]

Anfang der 90er bekamen viele Kinder den Namen KEVIN wegen dem Film "Kevin - Allein zu Haus" ("Home Alone")! Viele dachten wohl ihr Kind würde dadurch so intelligent und clever wie der Kevin im Film! 😉

[@312Annabella]

Richtig. Oder die Mütter schwärmten von Kevin Costner.

[@andreasdogbert8805]

Hat im Regelfall nicht funktioniert…

[@Misophist]

The really bitter thing about picking a now despised name like 'Kevin' or 'Chantal' is, that the parents actually had good intentions, by picking an 'out of league' international name, instead of a traditional German one. Unfortunately, for them, far to many had the very same idea. That is the reason I would suggest *not* to pick a name from the top ten, but instead, to move way down the list. It is a pity, that this might rule out names I actually like, but currently, there are way to much Emmas and Sofias around for my taste.. Some suggestions: Insa - this is some sort of diminutive of Frisian names starting with 'Ing', like Ingrid or Ingeborg. The 's' is spoken like in 'Susan'. So far, I have met only one Women with this name. I also like it for being short. And I think it will be easy for the international audience... Lea(h) in German, this is written without the 'h', take your pick. Nice and short too, but a bit more popular, its in the top 100 of some lists, but not the top 10. Esther - has gone a bit out of fashion, but seems to be on the way back. I like it for the hell of a history it comes with. But etymologists seem to have very different Ideas about it. It not just appears in the bible, but also seems to relate to Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess of love and war, or her Canaanite/Phoenician incarnation 'Astarte'. You also might note, that a 'star'/'Stern' seems to hide in this name. So its no surprise, that the Hebrew meaning seems to be 'star of love'. Can you put more meaning into name? Helen(e) - Greek, or if you want it to tweak it into some old fashioned German thing, add the 'e' at the end. Also pretty easy on international ears, and not that frequently used nowadays.

[@gillianleenas977]

I named my daughter Monica, thinking that's an international name. Well, Germans spell it Monika, pronounce it differently and the ones here are 50+... Same thing in Sweden, but at least both spellings are equally common.

[@denise4954]

Namensgebung ist immer schwierig. Aber ich finde die Namensbestimmungen gar nicht schlecht. Denn das Kind muß am Ende mit diesem Namen leben. Namen über die man sich lustig macht sind eben für denjenigen alles andere als schön. Apple (Apfel, das Schulleben ist damit schon ruiniert)z.b oder Billy (IKEA Regal). Das finde ich an Amerikanischen Namen oft so schlimm, Kinder nach Gegenständen zu benennen. Dort ist das vlt ok aber hier ist vorprogrammiert das dieses Kind ausgelacht und gemobbt wird. Deshalb gibt es diese Regelungen. Ich finde in Europa gibts so viele schöne Namen, ob französische, italienische, spanische oder nordische Namen. Zu denken ist nur das der Name: nicht zu lang ist wegen der Unterschrift, mögliche Spitznamen, international. Daniela, Elena, Antonia, Finja, Pia, Gabriel, Leandro, Adrian, Erik finde ich zb. schön. Aber wie auch immer, das einzig wichtige ist, das Kind ist gesund.

[@chemieingenieur6536]

Es gibt halt Namen in Deutschland, die enden dann doch als Stigma oder Diagnose. Ähnlich wie das Karen-Meme in den USA. Und die Regel, dass der Name dem Kind keinen Schaden zufügen soll, finde ich sinnvoll. Oder nach dem alten deutschen Sprichwort: "Der Name ist die erste Rache der Eltern an dem Kind."

[@cinemaatrium3863]

One of my friends Name is Goldic. It is a nordic name, not common in germany. Wenn man es schnell ausspricht klingt es genau wie Goldig. Er mag ihn nicht. Weiss nicht warum ;)

[@uranus348]

Ein E. Musk hätte ja auch 1110 0001 anstatt 1-XA_GT wählen können .... ?? Ich lach mich fast tot.

[@NimyaRajesh-uc7sq]

I am an expat living in Germany and expecting baby girl soon. Can I name my baby girl as "Laura Lavender " in Germany Is it a nice name in Germany?

[@lifeingermany_]

Laura is a common name here 🙃

[@suzetteospi]

The idea that a name can also be a diagnosis shouldn't be that foreign to North Americans since they came up with Karen. 😉

[@Fast_Ultralight]

Karin, on the other hand, is a very nice name in Germany. The only the difference depend on the different pronunciation of the "R" and the "I".😉

[@suzetteospi]

@@Fast_Ultralight That's true - but it's a boomer name, so it would be the 'wrong' generation for Jenna's baby girl.

[@ninan9650]

There is even a name when German parents pick english names : Kevinismus or Chantalismus. It came up in the 90 ies when in particular Young parents choose the name of their favorite boygroup member. Hence Justin ( Timberlake), Kevin ( From Backstreet Boys) or from the movie home alone. What it makes extra weird, are mix ups such as Dustin Müller ( imagine this broad german accent „ Doostin Müller“ ). The people pick foreign names and then they even cannot pronounce them right. And we all know, what happens if you mispronounce words in Germany. Someone ill come uninvited and will correct you 😬

[@ThePixel1983]

Legend also has it that this was done a lot in East Germany because naming their kids was one of their few liberties people had behind the iron curtain.

[@kilsestoffel3690]

40 years ago, I knew a David. English pronounciation, not German. The parents couldn't speak english, so he became "Divid".

[@Cyril_Sneer]

Hast du dir das ausgedacht!? "Kevin" war sooo populär durch den Film "Kevin allein zu Haus". (Eigentlich bekannt) 👆🏼🤷🏼‍♂️

[@ThePixel1983]

@@Cyril_Sneer Nein, irgendwo gehört

[@nriamond8010]

@@Cyril_Sneer Nina hat den Film doch erwähnt - "Home Alone" ist der englische Titel. Der deutsche wird englischsprachigen Zuschauern ja nichts sagen.

[@liliekrezinski7308]

My papa's name is jens and we were born in germany

[@ernestmccutcheon9576]

Hi Jenna, in the former East Germany one form of Protest was to give your child a „western“ name like Kevin and Mandy. We spent quite a bit of time finding names and spellings that worked both in spelling and pronunciation in Germany and in the USA. Good luck!

[@ifaeeafiify]

You mean "Maik" and "Mandy". I'm not from East Germany but I'm well familiar with what's much more than a clichée: Maik & Mandy indicates origin in the eastern zone, Kevin & Chantal indicates lower class, because... no one else would ever name a kid like that.

[@manfredfischer8944]

Du hast es selber angesprochen das Problem: du sprichst vom "BABY"-Namen. Man bedenken immer, das Babies älter und erwachsen werden und später mal alt sind. Stell dir den Namen einfach mal auf den Visitenkarte erfolgreicher Personen vor. Also Vorsicht mit Verniedlichungen: Seppi, Benny, Leni, Gabi, Maxi, usw. Ebenso aufpassen mit biblischen oder religiösen Namen: Adam, Gabriel, Lucifer, Jesus, Ruben, Levi, Elias, Mohamed, Cleopatra, Abraham, Zion, usw. ... sie könnten in anderen Kulturkreisen Problematisch sein. Aber auch Promis kommen aus der Mode: Elvis, Heino, Heintje, Adolf, Shakira, Sissi, Brunhild, etc.

Es ist immer empfehlenswert, einen zweiten (oder mehr) Vornamen zu vergeben. Dann kann man sich später einen passenderen/angenehmeren Namen aussuchen. Leider hab ich nen Umlaut im ersten Vornamen (und ausgerechnet ich war der IT-affine in der Familie, in den 80ern :D)… und der zweite Vornamen ist von einem unsympathischen Patenonkel. Also quasi mein Unsympatenonkel. ;-)

[@honkforpeace007]

One of my daughters name is Ira. When visiting the USA she got some problems since in the USA Ira seemes mostly given as a male name. She was very concerned about this. A similar case is an Italian friend of mine whose name is Gabriele, a typical male Italian name. When coming to Germany he had to notice that his name is exclusively given to females here. The male form is Gabriel. So he cut off the last "e" and has less problems testifying he´s a man...

[@lifeingermany_]

Ahhh the world can be so cruel sometimes, huh?! 😩

[@arnodobler1096]

same with "Andrea" in Italy and Germany (Andrea Doria)

[@Anson_AKB]

@@arnodobler1096 i learned that early during holidays in italy and meeting several people with that name. After hearing that name in some movie, my parents chose the name since it exists in almost every language in some variation, Andreas, Andrew, Andrė, Andrej, Andrea, .... In our class in school we were only 9 boys: 3 Andreas and 3 Michael. in my second school we again were only 9, including 3 Christian and 3 Stefan. There always seem to be some such names in every generation ... fun story: in those old times before the internet was available for everyone and "mailbox systems" (dialing up someone with a 300 baud accustic modem) was the newest invention (yes, i have my username already that long, selected from a story i just read, and it also starts with "An..."), four of us users decided to meet in reallife for some d&d, and thought it would be nice to use our real names instead of usernames. after this conversation "what's your name? Andreas, and yours? Andreas, and yours? Andreas, and (all together towards the fourth one) don't say that yours is Andreas too !? No, it isn't it is Andrė!" we had to laugh for a while and then kept using our usernames :-) One of us also stated that "Andreas ist kein Name, Andreas ist eine Sammelbezeichnung!" _(it's no name but a collective designation)_ :-) ps: once i asked a girl for her name and she said "Andreas" ... after my first shock, she explained that it was her family name.

[@ixiwildflowerixi]

I'll definitely name my daughter "Shantelle--Lynn" or "Karen" and my boy "Gaydor" or "T-Bob" (Middle name: "just off yourself already"). That'll give them perspective in life.

[@zdog1490]

A German guy on study abroad told me that he saw a reality TV show in Germany about hoarders, called "Messys" in German, and that one of the families in the show had a kid with a "horrible American name," and it was "Kevin." I had to think about all the Kevins I have known in the US: a pasty nerdy kid in school, a hospital radio-technologist who was very cute and married to one of my sister's friends, and a tall pretty-good looking Mexican guy at my work. I actually had to look up the name after I started working with the Mexican Kevin because this whole conversation came up again in my mind. Kevin is an Irish name. English and German are Germanic languages, and while the English have long been intermarried and lived among the Irish, Irish culture must be fairly distant from Germany. That's the best theory I can come up with as to why Germans don't like the name Kevin.

[@indiramichaelahealey5156]

Yes, naming yot child is difficult. We (I am a German, my husband is American) wanted to chose a name for our son which is the same in English or German and chose the name Christopher, named Chris. For a girl we would have chosen the name Julia.

[@lillikonig68]

Oh, a girl 😍💖👍🏻 My, daughter is 19 years old. Her name ist Luna (Moon) and Marina (Sea). And she is very happy with her name. I think this is realy important. But it didn't matter to me whether the first name and surname sounded good together. There are very many beautiful names that you can take from Germany that are not originally German. There are also many Nordic names such as from Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Wish you all the best😊

[@vully70]

Think of car names, that don’t work in other countries (and don’t sell well): Mitsubishi Pajero (wimp in spanish) Fiat Uno (Uuno - idiot in Finland) Toyota MR2 (read as „merde“ - shit in french)

Pro Tip: if you have to name a child, look at the *most popular* choices and then *DO NOT* take any of the first 20 to 50. You kid will thank you later in school. Jürgen was rather popular (I know, I'm surprised myself ;-)) around the time I was born. How do I know? I was one of three or four (at different times) Jürgens in my class in school.

[@darajeeling]

I neer wabted a Top 10 name for my kids. You call "Emma" and 12 girls turn up.. Nay... and yes, Ute is considered German AND a lot of native english speaker pronounce it wrong ( as did you) Vut that's fine and personally I think it's cute to see people struggle with my name

[@christophstahl8169]

Our rules for names were 1: Must be spelled as expected in every language we care about 2: It's nice to be more to the middle of the alphabet 3. If possible pick something uncommon, so you don't have to number your kids name in groups (like if there are 4 Finns) 4. Add some secondary choices, so your kids have a choice if they don't like their first name I would now add also 5. If you are not very christian, don't chose an old typical christian name. But maybe that's more true for northern germany. About the gender-thing. I think the rule that a name has to indicate the correct gender should prevent discrimination or being bullied because of the name. It only said that the first part of the first name have to indicate gender. So you could always do Franz Emma or even Klaus-Maria. I would still say it is a good rule of thumb to not chose a name that is very rarely used for your kids gender. Use a gender indicating one or an ambiguous one or else your kid will surely get into some problems with the name still. We went with Kent and Parker (which we actually both took from surnames) When you wanted to name your kid a name that was not used in germany yet, then you had to show that it is a common name in some other country. I prepared to show that Kent was common in sweden for example but when they checked the name, they found one other instance of Kent as a middle name already in germany, so I didn't need to argue for it.

[@lifeingermany_]

I’m totally on board with all those rules! Especially #1! That’s why we went with Max for my first born.. but then have an issue with your point #3 🙈 even still… when I say the name Max, I say it with my Canadian accent and people still ask me if I’m saying it incorrectly 🤣

[@marcelwin6941]

"...(which we actually both took ftom surnames)" How to say that you are a superhero comics nerd without saing it ... What are your kids' nicknames, Supie and Spidie?

[@marcelwin6941]

231 Comments, not going to read all of them before commenting so rhis may be a duplication: There is a (girls) name that would be totally normal (but a bit old fashioned) in Germany, but which since a few years no English speaker in their right name would call their daughter: Wait for it .... right ... KAREN

[@Frohds14]

Ich finde: Das kann jeder halten wie er will. Allerdings sollte man schon mal überlegen, ob der Vorname Fee Daisy, Lilly Lotta, Tylor Dee Lorean (echt durchgegangen), Jay Don oder Merlin Albus, - möglichst noch kombiniert mit so Allerweltsnachnamen wie Müller, Meier, Schmidt oder komplizierten Nachnamen wie Nosnitzki oder Woltrorustikow, - sich auf einer Visitenkarte eines Anlageberaters oder auf einem CDU-Wahlplakat zum Bundestag gut machen. Ich hatte gerade einen Chirurgen namens Kevin und war da irgendwie noch nervöser. Ich kann auch nichts für meine Assoziationen. Die genannten Vornamen hab ich alle schon in der Schule gehabt oder getauft. Mein persönliches Highlight wird ein Junge namens Yves bleiben, der unbedingt als Üffes ausgesprochen werden sollte. Der Tylor oben z.B. auch Ti-lohr. Bei manchen Vornamen muss auf die Visitenkarte eine fünfzeilige Anleitung, wie man den Namen auszusprechen hat.

[@Misophist]

Hidden behind the 'Ti-lohr' is the english 'tiler' - this one was used to refer to a profession - as in putting tiles on a roof ('Dachdecker')

[@Frohds14]

@@Misophist Das macht den Namen irgendwie noch schlimmer. Man stelle sich vor, in Deutschland nennt jemand sein Kind Dachdecker. Auch Stadtteilnamen wie Oberföhring, Kreuzberg oder Ohlsdorf oder Obstsorten, wie Apfel, Birne, Pfirsich oder Kirsche wären irgendwie seltsam und gingen beim Standesamt zurecht nicht durch.

[@eryr_llwyd]

Ja, ich habe auch mal nicht schlecht geguckt, als beim Kinderarzt "Lanzelot Richter" aufgerufen wurde... Tat mir schon ein bißchen leid, der Junge.

[@schattensand]

Little Help. Lock at the last name first. What vowals does it have. For first name use a name that complements the 5 vowals. If you have to leave out one leave out the u. Example: Last name is Mutter. Girl is called Ann-Sophie Mutter. All 5 vowals are compleet in the name, sounds good and sounds compleet. I bet it was not by accident, that this musician got this nice sounding name.

[@karinland8533]

Nameing a girl is so much easier then a boy. There are so much more pretty names.

[@hadikhan63]

what about Adolf?

[@t.a.yeah.]

The laws are too harsh in Germany, especially with the surnames, too. I would like to give my children both surnames, without a Bindestrich/hyphen, like in spain. :( ______ Also an interresting topic concerning names in Germany...: Russlanddeutsche (Russia Germans) that came back to Germany after a few generations got "propper german names" instead of their sometimes already russian names, and so for example Nikolaj got called Nikolaus now.. That's hard. Also other "german" names that just weren't used here anymore except by Germans from the former sovjet union (Eugen, Waldemar...). As a kid I actually even thought, Waldemar was a russian name.

[@lifeingermany_]

Agree regarding the Bindestrich point 😣 ahhh! And so interesting! I had no idea they had changed their names to be more “German-sounding” such a shame

[@maisilva5966]

Elisa and Camille 💖

[@sns4748]

Justin is even worse than Kevin 😂 but Brian is quite okay. Mike is also okay. Jason is also considered quite terrible

[@LaurenAngela_aufDeutsch]

All the best for your pregnancy ❤️ I couldn’t get over a girl being named Sally during my internship at Allianz!! I was like… are you sure you are in no way shape or form American? Turns out she was from Dresden!

[@MA-zg2pz]

I’m American and my name is Mandy 🤦🏼‍♀️ Damn. Is Mandy as bad as Kevin? I don’t even know if I could change my name at this point. But I don’t want people to think less of me because of the name association.

[@lifeingermany_]

Hahaha I think as North Americans we have nothing to worry about 😂 since we are after all, authentic to our names!

[@joeviolet4185]

I totally disagree with your hubby and relatives and also with teachers. Kevin actually would not be my personal favourite, but if someone likes it, why not? I also would not necessarily choose a nake from the top ten list, but rather resort to more uncommon ones. Nothing is more annoying than being named like every second child around me.

[@blablablu7]

In my career in Kindergarten I had multiple children with such names. And if one parent had an Anglo-Saxon origin the kids turned out pretty normal. It depends on the parents and their ability to raise children. And mainly ppl without jobs and other problems are less capable of raising healthy children

[@LucaSitan]

I wish I could dispel the Kevin connotation but honestly, I have one student called Kevin and yeah...he is 14, drinks, takes drugs, flunks school - the absolute personification of the very stereotype.. Basically, for the last 15 years or so it's become popular amongst, well let's say the more trashier German citizens, to give their kids American names. And since these kids are usually the ones to have and cause trouble (due to their family circumstances) the stereotypes were born and unfortunate, often proven to be true. of course affluent kids can also be troublesome and sometimes even worse, but their families have the resources to cover it up.

[@juricarmichael2534]

Hi. Come on. You did it once. Then you stayed inside cause of that pandemic. You'll do it again, no question.👍 I hope you don't consider "Rona" as a name!? 🥴 First two names in my mind: Grace / Gracy or Emilia / Amy. Think it's no shame, if you ask your families for support and / or amusement / distraction.... Weiterhin 🤞🤞 and all the best. Ciao

[@tnit7554]

Ann-kathrin is a nice name.

[@digilay]

It's all about the decade you are born in. To me all grandpas and grandmoms are Jakob, Maria, Katharina, Matthias, Franz, Ludwig, Johann, Ursula, Josefine ... So for my generation these names are a no-go. But for my kids giving names to their babys a Jakob or a Josefine is ok again. Ce la vie .... btw. ... how about Karen? So cute! ;-)

[@r.l.h.8649]

my husband and kids are German citezens. We named our son Adler. I love the sound of it being an American .....

[@xmishl]

I mean that there was a time, when gender neutral names were only allowed with a second name, which definitely tells you the gender 😅

[@lifeingermany_]

Crazy, right? 🙈

[@robertzander9723]

What a funny video, that was really nice!! With names like Apple, Pear, Goofy or Mars, I have no idea in which sectors you will eventually work, in the entertainment area of ​​film, television, theater or something similar. Maybe you're studying biology or astronomy, how seriously are you taken when your parents found a name funny. Of course, a name shouldn't matter and what the person can do is more important, but unfortunately the reality is different. Otherwise, you have to give the child enough self-confidence and support them accordingly. Names for girls that i like are Elena, Elaine, Helena, Diana, Alexandra or Johanna and for boy's Martin, Matthieu, Alexander, Johannes, David, Robert or Emil.

[@sns4748]

Chantal is quite a nice name I think but since it was so popular in less educated households the name got ruined ☹️

[@maxxum8820]

hey from germany/hessen (a little town you wont even found it on a card). I wish you and your famlie all the best and pushin all my fingers an even the thingis on the feet( Sorrry;-) Ido not know the name of those. Wahtever all the best and you will find a perfect name. The names of my grandmas are Alisa and Martha, i think they are very common in that age but modern in this days. Sorry for my bad english I tried my best. very very nice and friendly greets from herborn

[@JW-nh5or]

My name is Jürgen ! So . All over the world my name has been mispronounced understandably many times. But by far the best English vocal version of my name would be : you again . And if you say : you again really fast, like yougain .It really does sound like it's me and I like it. Luv ya

[@lifeingermany_]

Hahaha 🤣💛 I totally get that! Everytime I hear someone say “generally” or “generous” I always think they’re saying “Jenna-rally” or “Jenna-Rous”

Never heard "you again"… ;-)

[@butenbremer1965]

Liebste Jeanna, Du hast wahrscheinlich bereits längst einen Namen für Deine Prinzessin gefunden! Perfekt zum großen Bruder Max (= Maximilian) passen würde der Name Victoria/Viktoria "Vickie". They both are Royal names, and are referring to British-English ancestry - with Canada being a former Commonwealth country as we all know. Victoria / Viktoria derives from the English word Victory (or vice versa). It's still a pretty popular name in GER and somewhat sounds sophisticated. That's a winner's name, other than Chantal or Jaqueline......

[@Miristzuheiss]

My First daughter Valentina, Born at 14.2. more than 30 years ago

[@sns4748]

I still think Home alone was the reason for the Kevin pandemic

[@Opa_Andre]

As you are getting a girl obviously you can rule out Kevin for the name. We'll see the name you choose - hopefully it's not Karen, as this actually has also a bad reputation, especially in the US. Don't know if its the same in Canada.

[@Fast_Ultralight]

What is the problem with the name Sarah? The no-go names you mentioned were often given in the former GDR and were even misspelt and/or mispronounced in some places. Michael, for example, is a very common name in Germany, the North American abbreviation would be Mike. Unusual in this country, but acceptable. The East German translation Maik seems a bit strange. Now I am not sure if parents give children suitable names that correspond to the character of the child or if the character of the child is influenced because of the name. Anyway, the choice of name is very important. With my children, I have deviated greatly from family tradition; they have Aramaic, Greek, and Latin names that are both acceptable - and sometimes need to be explained - and appropriate to the character of the children. Good luck in finding a name👍

[@StareyeODL]

Gratulation :)

[@annstieler3893]

33years an Irish mammy living in Germany.. I wanted an Irish name, knew we were having a girl..So...Siobhán or Sinead (which I love) definitely would not have worked in Germany..So FIONA was our choice...AAAND It worked.. has always been pronounced correctly . Still love the name and my daughter loves it too..

[@arnodobler1096]

Fiona is nice

[@Misophist]

I would have suggested Deirdre or Deidra, if it wasn't for Germany. I love the myth behind this name. But it would probably cause a lot of grieve with spelling an pronunciation here.

[@peter_meyer]

Um, for future popular names, why not ask Antoinette Emily?

[@stadtbekanntertunichtgut]

Hi Jenna soon you will have two children. How do you manage to stay so sweet and attractive? Is it a special diet or do you do a lot of sport?

[@lifeingermany_]

Hahahaha well I’m honoured 😝💛 why thank you! I think the sweetness is just the Canadian in me 😝 but attractive… I envy my old self pre-baby! Though dieting and sports are not in my nature 😂😂 … maybe just always being on my feet chasing after a toddler 24/7 🙈

[@melissadeponte6516]

O Gosh we are moving to Germany soon and it sounds like i have the name that is not exceptable🙈 so my name is Melissa😅 My husband is Louis and our kids are. Ariyah, Shaddai and Noah!! Haha well i atleast hope for the girls they will be okey with their names🙈🙈

[@lifeingermany_]

Hahaha well at least Noah and Louis will be well off! These are both very loved names in Germany. 🥰😝 My sisters name is Melissa too 🥰 My name is Jenna… which I’ve been told is also white trash 😂🙈 but as an adult it doesn’t really affect me! BTW: Ariyah and Shaddai are such beautiful names 🥰 (and definitely not considered “trashy” here in Germany haha)

[@camas9774]

As a german Melissa doesn't sound to me like a typical "trashy" name. (Maybe it varies in different regions of Germany). But even if some germans have this association with the name... it doesn't really matter if a foreeigner has such a name. Noah was very popular some time ago and still is a well-liked name. Louis is a bit more uncommon but coming back into fashion and also very international. (I know two young children with this name) Your girls names are very beautiful, I especially like Ariyah, they have an exotic sound for me. (Arabic?)

[@erickgasuz5580]

it's interesting because here in mexico it's the same, kevin and brian have a bad connotation, people with those names are supposed to be poor people who live in the worst neighborhoods and also those names are related to thieves and bad people in general

[@bankimmun8621]

Dörte is also not a sexy name. It sounds like a mix of Döner and Torte 😄

[@judith6133]

Nina, Carmen, Anna, Caroline Genderneutral: Noél, Joelle/Joel, Renèe

[@louismart]

Baby name? The name given to a baby will be borne by this person their entire life!

[@bjoern0975]

I've got the impression that in Germany names go much more in and out of fashion than in other countries (thinking of English speaking countries, Italy, or even Austria, for example, that seem to have many all-time favorite names). In Germany you have a very good chance of guessing a person's age more or less correctly just telling from their first name. Then again, there are also names that have reappeared after about two generations: so someone with a name such as Paul, Johann/es, Anne/a, Marie/a, Sophie/a is likely to be either very old or very young. In my generation there were many Stephans, Markus', Thorstens, Olivers, Melanies, Sandras, Michaelas etc., which babies hardly ever have been named in about the past 20 to 30 years. Also, there are different trends depending on whether, for example, you live in the North (many Scandinavian names) or South (more traditional German and Austrian names).

[@lenaschneider7706]

I'd disagree on Paul, but yes to the rest. I was so confused when I asked a Japanese acquaintance of mine if there were names that sounded old fashioned in Japanese and she didn't really know what I even meant. I never thought that this wasn't normal everywhere, but in Germany you really can guess a person's age by their name quite often.

[@Liedton]

Gunnar or Hagen is my choice of great oldschool german names

[@gehpnx1392]

What about Karen? Sounds similar to Kevin and is also used as a diagnosis on your side of the isle

[@uweklein7898]

You should be able to shout the name well, then it will be easier for the parents if the child has done something wrong 😂. But beware, the child goes through the world with this name for the rest of its life.

[@lifeingermany_]

Hahahaha well said! 😂 (to be honest, I’ve also had that in mind when making my name selections hahah)

[@kawaluna]

Hi from Vienna Our kids“ names are Lucas, Nadine and Jasmin. Our grandgirls are Lina and Mia 😊 I am sure you will choose a beautiful name for your beautiful baby girl! Wish you all the best 🥰

[@kerstin.jitschin5861]

It’s like “a Karen “ I guess,all the best to you and your little one ❤️💜💙

[@ruthmaier755]

One of the worst German names….Waltraut…🤪

[@nitka711]

Melinda is not a bad name in Germany! I think your kids would not have any problems with „bad“ names, tough. Not even Kevin. I was born in Poland, but grew up in Germany and I always wanted to give my kids typical German names, which would have an equivalent in Poland. Strangely, we ended up with a really english name. Granted, it was a German and Polish name too, but my husband insisted on spelling and saying it the english way. To come to the point: no, he does not have any problems at school, nor did he in Kindergarten and preschool. I think it might have to do with the fact that he speaks really good english since he started talking. I guess people think he has at least one English/ American parent. That has a huge impact. So, that‘s the reason why I think your kids would not have any problems. Everyone knows you are Canadian. You kids will grow up speaking German and English. By the way: Deine Aussprache der typisch deutschen Namen ist super! Du hast fast alle perfekt ausgesprochen. 👍

[@lifeingermany_]

Melinda is a beautiful name as well! 🥰 And that’s a neat perspective and I think you’re right! Maybe it makes it more authentic when your child actually speaks the English language? 😝 All I need is easy name to pronounce! I can’t tell you how much it drives me nuts that no one at the administration offices can pronounce my first or last name 😂 Jenna Davis seemed so simple to me, but both are pronounced very different here. So much so, that I say my name differently when I have to give me details to someone here too 🙈

[@Fuerwahrhalunke]

My girlfriend and I decided that if it's a boy, I get to decide the name and if it's a girl, she gets to decide. So if it's a boy, I will name him after my grandfather (Franz) and if it's a girl, it's going to be Jana. I think you have to take into concideration, that, for example, the names you had in the beginning of the video are typically relatively rough to pronounce for Germans. Especially for the old folks. Also a thing for me is, not naming my child internationally or giving him a name that is just 0815. I love that fact that I can get recognized as German, just by my name. I dislike the fact that German names get lost in the void.

[@lifeingermany_]

I totally get that! 💛 Also neat rule between your girlfriend and you, I like it! I mean my husband pretty much named our son and I will name our daughter.. so at the end of the day we did the same 😝 without me realizing

[@torment_in_hell5095]

du bist so Heiss und süß.

[@lifeingermany_]

😂💛 danke

[@torment_in_hell5095]

@@lifeingermany_ ich wohne in Eller aber wenn ich dich ein mal treffe dann kriegst du von mir .... entweder eine Flasche Altbier oder eine Rose 😀😁😁😁😁

[@torstenjosephkartelmeyer4623]

Hey, why not two names? My son´s name is Jan Ole, always called Ole... My second name Joseph was the Name of my Grandfather, and when I lived in Cologne for many years, I was called Jupp. when i travelled to other countries, most people were not able to pronounce "Torsten", so i was called Jo. I agree, that names are important, but they can change. Give your child more options.

[@lifeingermany_]

In Canada, almost everyone has two names … though the second name is usually in honour of a loved one. My son has my late father in laws name and my soon-to-be daughter will have my moms name as her second name. 🥰

[@ALMhart]

We had the same discussions...it was a challenge to find a name we both liked ( my husband not wanting anything 'too creative', as he put it. Pronunciation and spelling ease in both English and German were important too. We compromised with our son...Erik...which is nice but my first choices were vetoed. Then we were surprised by twin girls. He got to name the first born ( with me having a right to veto) and I had dibs on the second born. Olivia Anna and Linnea Grace both arrived safely and all three are happy with the choices ( although my son says he would have liked my creative choices more ;))) All the best to you and your family.

[@t.a.yeah.]

Both nice names. But the second just flows better. :D (But in everyday life this won't play a role, I guess.)

[@suzetteospi]

As to the names on your 'too German' list - they are all boomer names anyhow so I wouldn't even recommend them. I am 59 and people in my generation are called Manfred, Jörg, Bettina, Sylvia etc.

[@Misophist]

'Jörg' really isn't recommended in an in English speaking environment, because its pronunciation is so close to 'jerk'.

[@Aurriel]

When my mom was pregnant with me, she and my brother made a bet, if I am going to be a boy or a girl. And who ever as right, would choose the name. My brother won and did a good job. And my father was never even asked about his opinion 😂 Wishing you and your little girl all the best, especially healthwise!

[@lifeingermany_]

😂♥️ well now I don’t feel so bad for taking the reigns of naming our daughter hahaha

[@eduardbernhuber6481]

Stay strong Jenna💪I think great Names for me are Leo,Andreas,Lukas or Martin😉

[@lifeingermany_]

I love the name Leo as well! 🤩🥰

[@Fast_Ultralight]

Eher unpassend für ein Mädchen😉

[@eduardbernhuber6481]

@@Fast_Ultralight echt🤔

[@anurajoseph2405]

How can come to your country please help me

[@patrickschindler6781]

Girl Name in Germany 10. Lea 9. Ida 8. Lina 7. Clara 6. Ella 5 . Emma 4. Sophia 3. Hannah 2. Mia 1. Emilia Boy Name 10. Luis 9. Luca 8. Theo 7. Henry 6. Leon 5. Emil 4. Elias 3. Finn 2. Noah 1. Matteo

[@lonespokesperson7254]

I worked at a kindergarten in Germany betweeen 2004 and 2006, and there was a boy named Kevin. Maybe I haven't caught up with current events. I don't believe parents should give their child a name, just cause it's hip. - What are you going to do when it is "un-hip"? Rename the child? Your husband doesn't seem very tolerant, with all due respect. Und these explanations, I mean, I don't get it. How do Germans know whether names like Kevin are trashy or not? They speak German as their daily language and watch dubbed movies. duhh. I know that there are names that you aren't allowed to name your Child. But the Canadian names you mentioned were OK, seriously.

[@lifeingermany_]

The topic in general is such a tough one in Germany 🙈 my husband is actually a lot more tolerant than a lot of others I’ve spoke with unfortunately! Hah the dubbed movies boggles my mind too! It drives me crazy! I’d ALWAYS rather watch a film in its original version even if I don’t understand the language - subtitles help! I just don’t see any name as “trashy” and I’m proud that we don’t have these types of stigmas in Canada all that often. Why does life need to be harder than it already is on people? 💛

[@lonespokesperson7254]

@@lifeingermany_ I agree. Nordic countries like Denmark and Norway show North American movies with the respective subtitles, Norwegian or Danish. - Not wanting to rain on anyone's parade, but one just doesn't learn anything by watching dubbed moves. and they aren't North American anymore. I didn't want to be offensive toward your husband, just felt he could be somewhat more tolerant, you know him better. I can watch CBC and CTV, at least the shows that aren't older than a week, so I definitely make use of it. KInda off the subject, I know, it was naming your child. In 1972, during the non internet days, I was so desperate and hungry for English language films and shows, that I watched all the English language SESAME STREET'S I could consume. - Now, there are DVD's and streaming services, we didn't have all that in Germany of the 70's. OH, and when i went to school, there were names like: Kerstin, Sabine, Monika, Astrid, Birgit, Christiane, Petra, Susanne....male names were: Werner, Heiko, Andreas, Rolf, Wulfhard, Thomas, Peter, Michael, Rudi, Wolfgang....those were some names in the 70's.

[@franz1102]

my granddaughter is a "Paula", old name but its raising again, lots of Paulas around lately 😍

[@lifeingermany_]

Even in Canada too 🤩🥰 I love the name!! It would have been our choice too if my husbands name wasnt Paul haha

[@steffenrosmus9177]

Well Kevinism and doeble surnames after marriage led to weird names like: Angar Kevin Möbius Schulze-Finkenbr.... or Severus Woldemort Katschinski No, not kidding

[@ingeborgm6147]

Harry...trashy? How about Prince Harry....you forgot about him?------------- in the German names, you forgot me...Ingeborg! :)

[@me-myself-i]

Danke für das tolle Video. ❤ Es gibt sogar Studien darüber, dass Kinder mit solchen Kevinismus-Namen schlechter von Lehrern bewertet werden als Kinder mit anerkannten Namen ... 😕 Daher ist die Entscheidung echt wichtig ...

[@lifeingermany_]

Das stimmt 😔 leider!

[@mariokah2426]

Meine Töchter haben wir vor 15/17 Jahren Emily und Vivien genannt. Ich finde die Namen immer noch schön und sie sind auch international. Liebe Grüße

[@lifeingermany_]

Die sind beide super und richtig international! 🤩 passt super überall!

[@McGhinch]

The original Kevin was Kevin Keegan, a great English football player, who played in the late 1970s for four years in Hamburg, Germany. There are many football fans that are in the lower league of society and many of them named their son Kevin. This was later reinforced by "Kevin -- Allein zu Haus". Chantalle or Jacqueline are in the same area. These are nice names but many families of lower social ranks with poor education have names like these for their girls and doing them a disservice by wrongly pronouncing the names like (you have to read this in German) Schantalle or Schakkeliene (there are no silent "e"s at the end of the names).

[@solidstate9451]

It's about the origin of the names. Low-educated people are heavily influenced by hollywood movies. And the protagonists have north-American names. USA sounds for them like action, modern worldview, being cosmopolitan... It is like kitschi wallpaper with palm trees on it. If you want to appear sophisticated name your child a Greek or Latin name (Justus, Achilles, Helena, Hagen... ), so you appear like you read the classics from Homer for example or at least have the latinum. Usual German names that doesn't sound too exotic and are easily pronounced in both languages are: Sarah, Marie, Sandra, Andrea, Michael, Daniel, Karl