Gender: Feminine
Origin: German
Germ (ZEE-nah)
The name is a contracted form of either Rosina or Gesina.
It was a common enough name in the 18th and 19th-centuries and even appeared in the U.S. top 1000 between 1880 and 1899. The highest it ranked within those years was in 1884 coming in as the 463rd most popular female name. This may have been due to a large influx of German immigrants at the time.
Currently, it is 75th most popular female name in Germany (2011).
Gender: Feminine
Origin: German
(LEN-yah)
The name is possibly from a Slavic diminutive form of Helena.
It may have first been brought to the public attention via Austrian singer, Lotte Lenja (aka Lotte Lenya) 1898-1981.
It is currently the 109th most popular female name in Germany, (2011).
Another spelling is Lenya.
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).
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.
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.
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.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: German
(mah-DEE-tah)
The name is from an obscure German diminutive form of Margarete, and was popularized in Germany as an independent given name via the German translation title of the Astrid Lindgren novel, Madicken.
Madicken is an archaic Swedish diminutive form of Margaret, now occasionally used as an independent given name.
It is also the stage name of Austrian singer known simply as Madita born Edita Malovčić (b.1978).
Currently, Madita is the 200th most popular female name in Germany, (2011).
Gender: Feminine
Origin: English/German/Scandinavian
Germ (EE-nah); Eng (I-nah)
The name is a contracted form of any female given name ending in -ina.
In the United States, the name was fairly prevalent at the beginning of the 20th-century, the highest she ever ranked was in 1881 coming in as the 151st most popular female name.
Currently, Ina is the 192nd most popular female name in Germany, (2011).
Coincidentally, the name could also be an Anglo-Saxon male name meaning, “fire.” It was borne by an 8th-century Anglo-Saxon king.
Common German double names include Ina-Maria and Ina-Alice.
Gender: Masculine Origin: Frisian The name is from an old Frisian diminutive form of Diederich. It is currently the 305th most popular male name in Germany, (2011). Another form is Tjarko.
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Italian სანდრო, Сандро
The name is a contracted form of Alessandro and is used as an independent given name in Italy, Hungary, the Ukraine, Georgia, throughout South Eastern Europe, Spanish-speaking countries and in German-speaking countries, especially Switzerland.
The name was most notably borne by Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510).
Currently, Sandro is the 267th most popular male name in France (2009) and the 269th most popular male name in Germany, (2011).