Unique German Names for Baby

The arrival of your child is imminent and you and your spouse are still arguing over what to name the little darling. This may be one of the most important decisions you will ever make. Perhaps as an expectant parent you want to find a name that is reflective of your heritage, spirituality, or particular interests as well as a name that will not get your child teased all the way through school.

If there is Germanic heritage in your family tree, you may want to consider the old and unique naming custom of the Germans, which goes beyond the usual tradition of naming first sons after the father's father and first daughters after the mother's mother.

In some cases, if a child was given two names at birth, one was considered a spiritual name and the other was considered a secular name. The spiritual name would have been after a saint, such as John, or Johan in German. The secular name would have been the name that the child was known by in everyday life. Two of the most commonly used saint's names for male children were Johan and George.

Although this naming custom slowly died out over a century ago, reviving it within your family could help to bestow a name on your child that combines spirituality and ancestry.

Here are some unique names of Germanic origin that would fit beautifully with a saint's name.

For the boys there are strong sounding names such as:

Amery - meaning "divine."

Aric- meaning "noble leader."

Ballard- meaning "brave."

Barrett- meaning "mighty as a bear."

Burke- meaning "birch tree."

Carsten-meaning "a follower of Christ."

Decker- meaning "man of prayer."

Garen-meaning "guardian."

Harmon- meaning "soldier."

Macon- meaning "maker."

Ritter- meaning "knight."

Truman- meaning "faithful man."

For baby girls, there are also some great names with a Teutonic flair.

Adelaide- meaning "noble and kind."

Alessa- meaning "noble truth."

Amara- meaning "eternal."

Arabella- meaning "beautiful eagle."

Derica- meaning "beloved leader."

Emmaline- meaning "hardworking or industrious."

Ilyse- meaning "noble."

Karlin- meaning "womanly."

Kerstin- meaning "follower of Christ."