How Jewish names in Germany are surging in popularity
11-02-2025
Central Europe
René Zeeman, RD
A man holding a baby. Photo Pexels, Josh Willink
Central Europe
Noah was again the most popular boy’s name in Germany last year. The Biblical or Jewish first name was the most common for the third time in a row.
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Noah, incidentally, is followed in popularity by Matteo, derived from the apostle Matthew, and Elias, referring to the prophet Elijah. In the fourth position is Luca, the Italian form of the apostle Luke.
The amateur researcher Knud Bielefeld from Ahrensburg, near Hamburg, has been keeping track of which first names German parents give to their sons and daughters since 1996. Since 2005, you can view the rankings on his website showing which boys’ and girls’ names are doing well in Germany. He even has a breakdown by state. It is for this reason that the Germans call Bielefeld the only German name influencer.
Finding a first name is often not easy for parents-to-be. The Germans speak of “die Qual der Wahl” (the agony of choice). It is also no easy task, but can come with major consequences, as the child has to bear that name for the rest of his life. The expectant father and mother decide whether it will be a timeless, a modern or an unusual name. Will they choose a short or a long name, which can be abbreviated? Or will they name their child after someone they love?
Traditional
“Changes in the top 10 are a steady process,” Bielefeld told German news agency DPA. As a rule, it takes decades for the most chosen names to lose popularity, according to the researcher. “The rankings, therefore, rarely change.”
Sometimes, a name pops up in the news in a negative way. Greta, for example, was rising in the rankings as a girl’s name until Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg hit the news in 2018. From one moment to the next, the popularity of that name was over.
Looking at the German states, the researcher notes remarkable differences. In southern Germany, traditional first names are popular. “If a baby is called Thomas or Sabine, it was probably born in Bavaria”, he says. In northern Germany, there is the rule: the more modern, the better.
A list of banned names does not exist. “That is a rumour”, says the researcher. “The registrar decides that. This always involves the welfare of a child. Recently, parents wanted to name their child Lucifer, the name of the devil. That was not accepted.”
Positive effect
German rabbi Dovid Gernetz expressed surprise at the popularity of names with Jewish roots in the weekly Jüdische Allgemeine. “We live in a progressive world, and I find it remarkable that many parents are inspired by the Torah,” he said.
Gernetz explains that in Judaism, first name is particularly valued. “The Talmud states that a name has great influence on the child’s future. From Rabbi Josef Karo we learn that –even if a person is a sinner and criminal– his good name can still have a positive effect on him.”
It is for this reason, says Rabbi Genetz, that great responsibility rests on the shoulders of the namers. “But I can reassure parents that they do not decide alone. Jewish mysticism assumes that in choosing the name, a spirit of God rests on the fathers and mothers, helping them find a name that suits the child to find its way in this world.”
This article was translated by CNE.news and published by the Dutch daily Reformatorisch Dagblad on January 27, 2025
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