German Last Names
German Americans are one of the largest ancestry groups in the United States, so German last names are everywhere — from Schmidt and Wagner to Americanized forms like Miller, Snyder and Yoder. Most of them took shape between the 12th and 16th centuries and describe what a person did, where they lived or what they looked like.
Below you’ll find more than 110 German surnames with their meanings, sorted by type. If you’re researching family history, don’t miss the section on Americanized spellings. For first names, see German names for boys and German girl names, or go back to the German names hub. Neighboring traditions are covered in Dutch last names.
The most common German last names
The top of the German surname list is dominated by trades. Müller alone is carried by several hundred thousand people in Germany.
| Surname | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Müller | Miller | Occupation |
| Schmidt | Smith, metalworker | Occupation |
| Schneider | Tailor (“cutter”) | Occupation |
| Fischer | Fisherman | Occupation |
| Weber | Weaver | Occupation |
| Meyer | Steward or tenant farmer (Latin maior) | Occupation |
| Wagner | Wagon maker or driver | Occupation |
| Becker | Baker | Occupation |
| Schulz | Village mayor or bailiff (Schultheiß) | Occupation |
| Hoffmann | Steward of a manor farm (Hof) | Occupation |
| Schäfer | Shepherd | Occupation |
| Koch | Cook | Occupation |
| Bauer | Farmer, peasant | Occupation |
| Richter | Judge | Occupation |
| Klein | Small | Nickname |
| Wolf | Wolf, or short for names like Wolfgang | Nickname |
| Schröder | Tailor, or cart-loader (northern German) | Occupation |
| Neumann | “New man,” a newcomer | Nickname |
| Schwarz | Black, dark-haired | Nickname |
| Zimmermann | Carpenter | Occupation |
German surnames from jobs and crafts
If an ancestor did it for a living in a medieval German town, there’s probably a surname for it. Many have direct English counterparts.
| Surname | Meaning | English equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Schumacher | Shoemaker | Shoemaker |
| Krüger | Innkeeper, or potter (from Krug, “jug”) | — |
| Hartmann | “Hard/strong man”; sometimes herdsman | — |
| Jäger | Hunter | Hunter |
| Vogel | Bird; a bird catcher | Bird |
| Brauer | Brewer | Brewer |
| Metzger | Butcher | Butcher |
| Fleischer | Butcher (“meat man”) | Butcher |
| Kaiser | Emperor; nickname or role in a pageant | Kaiser |
| König | King; nickname or servant of a royal house | King |
| Graf | Count (noble title) or a steward | — |
| Keller | Cellar master | Keller |
| Schuster | Shoemaker, cobbler | Shoemaker |
| Töpfer | Potter | Potter |
| Wirth | Innkeeper | — |
| Vogt | Reeve, bailiff | Bailiff |
| Gärtner | Gardener | Gardner |
| Fuchs | Fox; a clever person or fur trader | Fox |
| Hermann | “Army man” (also a first name) | Herman |
| Maurer | Mason, bricklayer | Mason |
| Drechsler | Wood turner | Turner |
| Kessler | Coppersmith, kettle maker | Kettler |
| Seiler | Rope maker | Roper |
| Bäcker | Baker (variant of Becker) | Baker |
| Ziegler | Brick or tile maker | Tyler |
German last names from nicknames and appearance
Physical traits, habits and personality gave rise to many family names.
| Surname | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Braun | Brown | Hair or complexion |
| Weiss | White | Blond or white-haired |
| Roth | Red | Red hair |
| Lang | Tall | Physical size |
| Kurz | Short | Physical size |
| Groß | Big, tall | Also spelled Gross |
| Jung | Young | The younger of two |
| Alt | Old | The elder of two |
| Fröhlich | Cheerful | Happy disposition |
| Frei | Free | A free man, not a serf |
| Klug | Clever, wise | Character nickname |
| Stark | Strong | Physical strength |
| Kühn | Bold, brave | Character nickname |
| Schön | Beautiful | Or used ironically |
| Fromm | Pious | Religious character |
| Lustig | Merry, funny | Cheerful person |
| Strauss | Ostrich, or a bouquet | House sign or nickname |
| Adler | Eagle | Often from a house sign |
| Engel | Angel | Often from a house sign |
German surnames from places and landscapes
Topographic names describe the land near a family’s home; others point to a town or region they came from.
| Surname | Meaning | Clue |
|---|---|---|
| Bach | Stream, brook | Lived by a stream |
| Berg | Mountain, hill | Lived on a hill |
| Busch | Bush, thicket | Lived by woodland |
| Brandt | Land cleared by burning | Fire-cleared land |
| Stein | Stone | Rocky place or stone house |
| Kirchner | Lived by or worked at the church | Church |
| Lindemann | Man by the linden tree | Tree |
| Holzmann | Woodsman | Forest |
| Hahn | Rooster; also a house sign | Inn or farm sign |
| Winkler | Someone living in a corner or bend | Corner of land |
| Bergmann | Miner, or mountain man | Hills and mines |
| Waldmann | Forest man | Forest |
| Brückner | Lived by a bridge | Bridge |
| Mühlbauer | Farmer at the mill | Mill |
| Rosenberg | Rose hill | Place name |
| Schwab | From Swabia | Region |
| Bayer | From Bavaria | Region |
| Frank | From Franconia, or “free” | Region |
| Hess | From Hesse | Region |
| Sachs | From Saxony | Region |
| Böhm | From Bohemia | Region |
German surnames from first names
Many families took the given name of a father or ancestor as their surname, often with -s or -er added.
| Surname | From the first name | Meaning of the root |
|---|---|---|
| Werner | Werner | “Guard of the Warini tribe” |
| Peters | Peter | “Stone” |
| Jansen | Jan (John) | “God is gracious” |
| Albrecht | Albrecht (Albert) | “Noble and bright” |
| Günther | Günther | “Battle army” |
| Dietrich | Dietrich | “Ruler of the people” |
| Friedrich | Friedrich | “Peaceful ruler” |
| Ludwig | Ludwig | “Famous in battle” |
| Heinrichs | Heinrich | “Ruler of the home” |
| Seidel | Pet form of Siegfried | “Victory, peace” |
| Ebert | Eberhard | “Strong as a boar” |
| Nickel | Nikolaus | “Victory of the people” |
| Otto | Otto | “Wealth, fortune” |
| Arnold | Arnold | “Eagle power” |
Americanized German last names
Millions of Germans emigrated to the US in the 1700s and 1800s. Spellings were often anglicized, so many common “American” surnames are German underneath. It’s worth knowing when you search old records, and it also explains names on our list of most common last names.
| American spelling | Original German | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Miller | Müller | Miller |
| Snyder | Schneider | Tailor |
| Yoder | Joder (from Theodor) | “Gift of God” |
| Shoemaker | Schumacher | Shoemaker |
| Carpenter | Zimmermann | Carpenter |
| Hoover | Huber | Owner of a Hube, a unit of farmland |
| Pfeiffer | Pfeiffer | Piper, musician |
| Kline | Klein | Small |
| Myers | Meyer | Steward |
| Fisher | Fischer | Fisherman |
| Rockefeller | Rockenfeller | “From Rockenfeld,” a Rhineland place |
| Eisenhower | Eisenhauer | “Iron hewer,” ironworker |
Tips for researching German last names
- Search every spelling. Schmidt might appear as Schmitt, Schmid, Smith or Smit. Meyer can be Meier, Maier, Mayer or Myers.
- Replace umlauts both ways. Müller can be written Mueller or Muller; Schäfer as Schaefer or Shafer. Search all versions in census and immigration records.
- Look for the region. Northern names often end in -mann or -sen, while southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland favor -er and -le endings (Huber, Schäuble).
- Some German surnames are Jewish in origin. Names like Rosenberg or Adler were adopted by both Christian and Jewish families; see Jewish last names for that history.
- Using one for a character? Match era and region: Huber for a Bavarian farmer, Jansen for a northern coastal family, von-names for aristocrats.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common German last name?
Müller, meaning “miller,” is the most common surname in Germany, followed by Schmidt, Schneider, Fischer, Weber and Meyer.
What does “von” mean in a German last name?
“Von” means “of” or “from.” It often marks nobility (von Bismarck), but in some cases it simply described where a family came from.
Why do so many German surnames come from jobs?
As towns grew in the Middle Ages, people with the same first name were distinguished by trade. The miller, smith and tailor were in almost every village, so those names became the most widespread.
Is Miller a German last name?
Often, yes. In the US, many Millers descend from German Müllers whose name was anglicized on arrival, though Miller is also an English surname.
What is the German last name for Smith?
Schmidt (and its variants Schmitt, Schmid) is the German equivalent of Smith, meaning a metalworker or blacksmith.