# German (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/german/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 16,661 |
| US rank (2010) | 2,182 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 18,531 people |
| Change since 2000 | +13% (14,769 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈd͡ʒɝ.mən/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From Latin Germānus, Germānī (“the peoples of Germānia”), as distinct from Gauls (in the writings of Caesar and Tacitus), and of uncertain ultimate origin (possibly Celtic/Gaulish). Not related to german (“closely related”) or germane (from the Latin adjective germānus, through Old French). Attested since at least 1520. Replaced the older terms Almain and Dutch (from Proto-Germanic *þiudiskaz) in English. Besides cognates of German, Almain, and Dutch, two other categories of words for the Germans in other languages are cognates of Saxon and descendants of Proto-Slavic *němьcь; see those entries for more. The surname is generally from the noun, though sometimes confused with Herman, Hermann under Russian influence. As a German surname, Americanized from Germann. Compare Germán, Germain, Jerman.

## Who carries it

Share of people named German in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 59% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 14% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 24% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.9% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.9% |
| Two or more races | 1.3% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named German in the United States.

## People named German

- Lauren German, American actress

## Similar surnames

Germain, Germany, Germann, Germano, Germaine, Gorman, Garman, Geronimo, Greenman, Garmendia, Garmon, Greening.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.