Category Archives: German Names

Marla

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The name has a few different etymologies depending on its source. In Germany, it is a contracted form of Marlene, now used as an independent given name.

In Russia, it is the name of an indigineous nature based pre-Christian religion practiced by the Mari in the Republic of Mari El. The name is sometimes used among the Mari much in the same way Christians use the names Christian and Christine and Muslims use Islam.

The Marla religion is one of the last traditional beliefs to have survived Christianization and has co-existed with Russian Orthodoxy for centuries. The name has also been used by non-Mari Russians as well.

Currently, Marla is the 141st most popular female name in Germany, (2011). In Russian, it is spelled as Марла.

In the United States, the name is often associated with Socialite, Marla Maples (b.1963).

Mona

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The name could be of several different etymologies depending on the source of the bearer. In Nothern Europe, it is a contracted form of Monika or any name that contains the element -mona. 

In the case of the Mona Lisa, mona is an archaic Italian title, being a contraction of madonna.

It has been suggested that the name could be from the Greek monos (one) and it can also be used as an anglicized form of the Gaelic, Muadhnait (little noble one).

The name is used throughout the Middle East, in this case it is derived from the Arabic منى (muna) meaning, “wishes; desires.”

Currently, Mona is the 160th most popular female name in Germany, (2011).

 

Titus

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Titus (Roman Emperor)Gender: Masculine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “title of honour.”
Eng (TY-tus)

The name comes from the Roman praenomen which is derived from the Latin, titulus, meaning “title of honour.”

In Ancient History, the name is borne by Titus Flavius Vespasianus, the tenth Roman emperor in the Roman Empire and the second of the Flavian Dynasty.

In the New Testament, the name is borne by a companion of St. Paul who later became the first bishop of Crete and was a recipient of one of Paul’s epistles.

The name was also used by Shakespeare for his tragedy Titus Andronicus (1593).

Currently, Titus is the 253rd most popular male name in Germany, (2011) and the 397th most popular in the United States, (2010).

Other forms of the name include:

  • Tito (Aragonese/Basque/Galician/Italian/Portuguese/Spanish)
  • Titus (Czech/Danish/Dutch/English/French/German/Latin/Norwegian/Swedish)
  • Tiitus (Finnish)
  • Tite (French)
  • Titos Τιτος (Greek Biblical)
  • Titou τιτου (Greek Modern)
  • Titusz (Hungarian)
  • Títus (Icelandic/Slovak)
  • Titas (Lithuanian)
  • Titu Тітъ (Old Church Slavonic)
  • Tytus (Polish)
  • Tit Тит (Romanian/Russian/Croatian/Slovene)

An Italian, Portuguese and Spanish feminine form is Tita.

The designated name-day is January 4th.

Leif

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: Old Norse
Meaning: “descendant; heir.”
Eng (LEEF); Eng/Swe/Ice (LAFE); Nor (LIFE)

The name is derived from the Old Norse, Leifr meaning (heir, descendant). It is most famously borne by Norse Explorer, Leif Eriksson (970-1020), who is regarded as the first European to set foot on North America and is credited for discovering Greenland.

The name has always been prevalent throughout Scandinavia. However, its usage in Germany is relatively recent where it’s currently the 263rd most popular male name, (2011). The name has also had prevalent usage in North America, particularly within the Midwest where a large Scandinavian-American population resides, one notable American bearer being former teen pop idol, Leif Garrett (b.1961).

Other forms of the name include:

  • Leif (Danish/English/Faroese/Finnish/German/Icelandic/Norwegian/Swedish)
  • Leif(f) (Danish: obscure)
  • Lejf (Danish: obscure)
  • Leifur (Icelandic: more common form)
  • Leiv (Norwegian)
  • Leifr (Old Norse)

 

 

Kurt

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: German
Germ/Eng (KURT)

The name was originally a diminutive form of Konrad and has been used as an independent given name since at least the 18th-century.

Kurt and Curt has experienced prevalent usage in English-speaking countries, particularly in the United States. The highest it ranked was in 1964, when it came in as the 109th most popular male name. As of 2010, it does not appear in the U.S. top 1000.

It has recently been brought to the attention through the Fox series, Glee being the name of one of its protagonists, Kurt Hummel.

Kurt is currently the 246th most popular male name in Germany, (2011). Another spelling is Curt.

Kurt is also occasionally used in the Czech Republic.

Coincidentally, the name is also used in Turkey, being from the Turkish word for wolf. Its Turkmen cognate is Gurt and its Bashkir is Kort.

 

Henning

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: German
Germ/Swe (HEN-ning)

The name is from a Northern German diminutive form of Henrik or Johannes and has been used as an indepedent given name in both Germany and Scandinavia since at least the 19th-century. It seems to have been the popular nickname of choice for Johannes in Medieval Pomerania, Silesia and Holstein, appearing several times in documents from the 13th-century onward.

It is currently 239th most popular male name in Germany, (2011).

Other older forms are the Silesian and Sorbian Hannig and Hennig.

Hans

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: German
Dan/Germ/Swe/Nor (HAHNZ)

The name is a household German favorite and in the English-speaking world, is often used to designate an average German male.

It is from a diminutive form of Johannes, but has exclusively been used as an independent given name in German-speaking countries and in Scandinavia since at least the 19th-century.

The name would roughly be the German cognate of Jack.

Up until the 1950s, Hans was among the 10 most popular male names in Germany, in recent years, it has been viewed as a dated name, but like other vintage names, seems to be catching on again. It is currently the 245th most popular male name in Germany, (2011).

Another form is Hansel.

A Danish feminine form is Hansine.

 

Tore

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: Old Norse
Meaning: “warrior of Thor.”
Germ/Nor/Swe (TOR-reh)

The name is believed to be a contracted form of the Old Norse, Þórir, which is composed of the elements, Þór (Thor) and verr (warrior; man). It has also been suggested that the latter element may actually be from *wihar (priest), hence it may actually mean “priest of Thor.”

The name can be traced all the way back to a 10th-century Rune of Uppland, Sweden. Inscribed is the following epithet to a man named Tore:

“Ingrid and Ingegerd erected this stone in memory of Tore, their father.” (Uppland, 996 CE).

Currently, Tore is the 252nd most popular male name in Germany, (2011). Another spelling is Thore.