Gender: Masculine
Origin: Scandinavian
(LAHS-seh)
The name is from a Swedish and Norwegian diminutive form of Lars, now commonly used as an independent given name throughout Scandinavia, Finland and Germany.
It is currently the 86th most popular male name in Germany, (2011).
Another form is the Finnish, Lassi.
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Debated
Meaning: Debated
Eng (MAR-vin); Germ (MAR-veen)
The name is of debated origin and meaning, the two consistent theories are 1) it is from the Welsh male name Merfyn, meaning, “famous marrow”, or 2) it is from a Old High German name, being composed of the elements mar (famous) and wini (friend). It has even been suggested that Merfyn is actually a Welsh corruption of the latter, being introduced into Wales by the Anglo-Saxons.
Merfyn was borne by a 9th-century Welsh king.
Currently, Marvin/Marwin is the 97th most popular male name in Germany, (2011).
His rankings in other countries are as follows:
A feminine form is Marva.
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “blessed.”
The name comes directly from the Late Latin name Benedictus meaning “blessed.” The name was borne by a 6th-centuy Italian monk and saint who credited for being the founder of the Order of the Benedictines.
The name was very common throughout Medieval Europe, being borne by 16 popes, it was fairly popular in England, in the form of Bennett.
The name was also commonly used among German-Jews, being used as a cognate of the Hebrew male name Baruch בָּרוּךְ (blessed).
In the United States, the name became taboo to use due to its associations with Benedict Arnold (1741-1801) a famous American deserter and traitor to the British.
The name recently skyrocketed in Germany after the succession of the German born Pope Benedict XVI. It is currently the 93rd most popular male name in Germany, (2011). It is especially popular in Bavaria.
His rankings in other countries are as follows:
Other forms of the name include:
Feminine forms include:
Gender: Masculine
Origin: English
(BEN-net)
The name is a Medieval English form of Benedict and this was the standard form used in England up until the 18th-century.
Currently, its German spelling of Bennet is the 102nd most popular male name in Germany, (2011) while Bennett ranked in as the 279th most popular male name in the United States, (2010).
A Hungarian form is Benett.
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Frisian/German
(TIL)
The name is of Frisian origin and could either be a diminutive form of Dietrich or come directly from the Frisian word til meaning, “good; hard.”
The name was borne by a medieval German folk hero, Till Eulenspiegel, a famous 13th-century prankster who appears in several medieval pamphlets.
It is currently borne by Rammstein singer, Till Lindemann, (b.1960).
Currently, Till is the 48th most popular male name in Germany, (2011).
Another form is Dil/Dyl.
Gender: Masculine
Origin: German
Meaning: “bold people.”
The name is composed of the Old High German elements, liut (people) and pold (bold, brave).
It was initially popularized by a 10th-century Austrian saint, who is now considered the patron saint of Austria. The name became extremely popular with German and Austrian royalty. It was borne by two Holy Roman Emperors.
It was introduced into the English-speaking world in the 19th-century, popularized after Queen Victoria named her son Leopold in honour of her Belgian uncle, King Leopold of Belgium. Irish author, James Joyce used the name for a character in his 1920 novel Ulysses.
In late 19th-century America, the name may have been popular due to the sudden influx of German and Austrian immigrants. The highest he ever ranked in U.S. naming history was in 1895, when he came in as the 580th most popular male name.
Long considered dated in contemporary Germany and Austria, the name has recently been experiencing a revival. He is currently the 122nd most popular male name in Germany, (2011), and is the 280th most popular male name in France, (2009).
Other forms of the name include:
A common Bavarian short form is Poldi and a common English short form is Leo.
Feminine forms include:
Gender: Masculine
Origin: German
(FRAHNTZ)
The name could either be a German form of Francis or it may come directly from the Old High German word for “free.”
The name was borne by two Holy Roman Emperors and by Franz Joseph I of Austria.
Other notable bearers include Franz Kafka and Franz Liszt.
The name was very popular in Germany all the way up till the middle of the 20th-century, but fell out of usage, being considered rather dated, it has recently caught on again and is currently the 141st most popular male name in Germany, (2011).
Gender: Masculine
Origin: English/Gaelic
Eng (KAHL-in); Fre (KOLE-lahn)
The name could be of two origins. The first is that it is an anglicized form of the Gaelic Cailean meaning “puppy” or it could be from an archaic French and English diminutive form of Nicolas.
It was borne by a 9th-century Scots king and has been a common name in Scotland and Ireland since Medieval times.
The name’s popularity outside of Celtic and English-speaking countries may be due to several recent famous personages who have brought the name to the spotlight, including former Secretary of State of the United States and General, Colin Powell (b.1937), British actor Colin Firth (b.1960) and Irish actor, Colin Farrell (b.1976)
Currently, Col(l)in is the 56th most popular male name in Germany, (2011). His rankings in other countries are as follows:
Despite Colin Powell’s unusual pronunciation of the name (KOLE-in); the name is usually pronounced (KAHL-in) in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
A French feminine form is Coline.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Gaelic
Meaning: “white; fair.”
(fee-OH-nah)
The name is believed to have been coined by Scots poet James Macpherson (1736-96) for a character in the Ossian poems. It is believed that he based the name off the Gaelic male name Fionn which comes directly from the Gaelic word meaning, “white; fair.”
The name was subsequently used as a pen name for William Sharpe: Fiona Macleod (1855-1905). It has since been considered a traditional name in both Ireland and Scotland.
The name has recently become popular in German-speaking countries, the inspiration of its popularity may be due to the Shrek movies. It is currently the 2nd most popular female name among Romansch-speakers in Switzerland, (2010). Her rankings in other countries are as follows:
The name is also borne by American singer, Fiona Apple (b.1977)
A Dutch and German form is Viona.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: German
(LEY-nee)
The name is derived from a German diminutive form of Magdalena and Helene.
It has been used as an independent given name since at least the early part of the 20th-century.
Its recent popularity in Germany may be due to Heidi Klum, who named her daughter Leni in 2004.
Leni is currently the 23rd most popular female name in Germany, (2011).
The name is also occasionally used in Norway and Sweden.