Naming your dog is one of the first responsibilities you have to accept as a pet parent. And most dog owners do this duty with love and enthusiasm and without too much difficulty. Whether or not you have a German dog breed, you can still look to this beautiful old language to find a great name for your beloved pet. German names are meaningful, unique, sharp, and some of them have very deep and significant spiritual meanings too. So if you are looking for some cool German names for dogs, female or male, we have you covered in this guide.
German dog breeds popular the world over
Before we suggest some unique German dog names, let us consider some of the top German dog breeds that are popular around the world and especially in the United States:
- German Hunt Terrier (also known as the Jagdterrier)
- Dachshund or Teckel
- German Longhaired Pointer
- Doberman Pinscher
- German Shepherd
- Keeshond or German Wolfspitz
- German Pinscher
- Miniature Schnauzer
- German Shorthaired Pointer
- Bavarian Mountain Scent Hound
- German Spitz
- German Wirehaired Pointer
- Standard Poodle
- Pomeranian
- Affenpinscher
- Landseer
- Large Munsterlander
- Elo Dog
- Hovawart
- Westphalian Dachsbracke
- Leonberger
- Weimaraner
- Rottweiler
Unique German names for male and female dogs and their meanings
If you have a German dog breed then a German name is the perfect fit. Here are some ideas followed by the meaning of each name.
Male dog names with German origins
- Abelard – This is one of the many German dog names that mean ‘protector’. The actual meaning of Abelard is ‘a resolute keeper’.
- Adalgiso – ‘noble hostage’. This word comes from old German.
- Adelmo – Another of the many German dog names that mean ‘protector’. Adelmo is a noble protector. This is an ideal name for a German Shepherd or Leonberger.
- Adolph – noble wolf or noble hero
- Albert – noble and bright
- Baldric – Brave ruler
- Baldwin – Bold friend
- Dagmar – German for Glorious
- Dustin – valiant fighter.
- Erwin – German name meaning ‘army friend’. It is derived from old German elements of Heri meaning army and wini meaning friend. Erwin is one of the many popular military German shepherd names.
- Gilbert – composed of gisil (faith) and berath (pledge)
- Godfried – peace of God
- Gunther – derived from gund (war/strife) and har (army). This makes it one of the many popular military German shepherd names.
- Henry/Henrick – Henryk is the original German name adapted in Polish and meaning home ruler.
- Helmut – courage, bravery, spirit.
- Hubert – clever from Old German.
- Jorg – earth-worker or farmer.
- Leonard – This is one of the popular French German dog names. It means king and is ideal for a Leonberger.
- Lothar – famous warrior; another popular military German shepherd names.
- Louis – famed warrior
- Manfred – a man of peace
- Miles – soldier, merciful
- Norbert – blonde hero
- Oberon – noble, bearlike.
- Obert – wealthy, bright
- Oskar – ‘spear of the Gods’.
- Otis – acute, wealthy
- Raynard – brave or mighty one
- Ritch/Rich/Richard – German name meaning powerful.
- Ritter – Old German for ‘knight’
- Stein – Great name for a Weimaraner. This is German for stone
German male dog names that are popular in 2019
- Emery – an industrious leader
- Wagner – derived from a Germanic word which means wagon-maker. Wagner is a popular German surname.
- Bruno – Bruno is one of the most popular boy dog names for 2019. It is derived from brun, meaning brown.
- Loki – This name has become very popular thanks to the Avenger films. Loki is derived from Luka, a Germanic word for knot-lock.
- Auster – German for oyster
- Ryker – this cool dog name is derived from ‘rike’ in German, meaning rich.
- Einstein – cool and cute name for a small to medium dog. The name comes from the German word ‘einsteinen’ meaning.
- Luka/Lukas/Lucas – The man from Lucania
- Leon – This word is present in many languages apart from German including French and Spanish. It means Lion.
- Timm – Comes from Continental Germanic word Timmo. It has an unclean meaning.
- Max – Max is one of the most popular boy names in Germany. It has a presence in many languages including English, German, and Aboriginal. The meaning in all languages is ‘greatest’.
- Niklaus – Victory of the people.
- Volker – People’s defender. An ideal name for a guard dog.
Female dog names with German origins
- Adah/Ada – Germanic origin with biblical connotation meaning adornment.
- Adele – from Adal meaning noble
- Alberta/Berta/Elberta/Elbertina/ – derived from adal noble and brecht meaning bright
- Amalia – from German Amal meaning work
- Anna – Anna may not be entire Germanic alone as it has its origins in many languages. The name means Grace or Favor.
- Aloisia – French-German name with unclear meaning and origins.
- Armina – feminine form of Armin with Germanic elements of heri meaning army and man.
- Arya – Aryan and Arya both come from Sanskrit and Germanic roots are present in this ancient language. The word means noble Goddess.
- Bernardine – unique name for a female dog meaning bold as a bear.
- Debra – German form of Deborah derived from Hebrew devorah a bee or swarm of bees
- Elfrida – meaning peaceful
- Elga – German form of Helga meaning pious
- Elsa – famous due to the Disney movie. Short form of Elizabeth
- Fernananda – German for daring, adventurous
- Frederica – peaceful ruler
- Geraldine – mighty with a spear
- Gerda – protector
- Germaine – French from Germany
- Gilberte – Brilliant, trustworthy
- Gertrude – German for strong spear.
- Gretel – German for pearl
- Gretchen – a form of Margaret
- Hilda – contains hild which means war or battle.
- Huette – meaning heart/mind/spirit
- Isolde – ruler of the ice
- Johanna – German for God is Gracious
- Leona/Leoni – French German name meaning lioness; ideal name for a Leonberger bitch.
- Lotte – short for Charlotte
- Odetta – German-French form of Odelia meaning wealth.
- Quinna – German/English for Queen
- Valda/Walda – famous ruler
- Veronika – the word means a ‘piece of cloth with a representation of ‘Christ’ on it’.
- Viktoria – This name is very popular in German and found in many family trees.
German female dog names that are popular in 2019
- Sophia – Wisdom or skill
- Hannah – comes from Hebrew, meaning grace or favor
- Mila – from German Ludmila meaning favor of the people
- Elke – This is a traditional German girl’s name, meaning ‘of noble birth’
- Petra – female form of Peter meaning stone or rock