German Names, Titles & Forms of Address Vocabulary
This set covers how Germans handle names and forms of address: der Vorname, der Nachname (or der Familienname), and the surprisingly loaded der Personenstand (marital status, often asked on official forms). One trap for English speakers is das Fräulein: it looks like a harmless diminutive for "young lady," but it's outdated and mildly awkward today, since German dropped the Fräulein/Frau distinction decades ago in favor of using Frau for all adult women regardless of marital status.
Learn these 19 words
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All 19 words
plural: die Familiennamen
surname
Meine Familiennamen sind García González. — My surnames are García González.
- heißenA1
to be called
Ich heiße Charlotte Meier. — My name is Charlotte Meier.
plural: die Nachnamen
surname
Wie lautet bitte Ihr Nachname? — What is your surname, please?
plural: die Namen
name
Mein Name ist Thomas Schmidt. — My name is Thomas Schmidt.
plural: die Vornamen
first name
Ich heiße Müller, mein Vorname ist Eva. — I am called Müller, my first name is Eva.
plural: die Damen
lady, woman
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, — Dear ladies and gentlemen,
plural: die Fräulein
Miss
Früher sagte man oft Fräulein zu jungen Frauen. — In the past people often said Miss to young women.
- siezenA2
to address formally (with 'Sie')
Bitte siezen Sie den neuen Kollegen. — Please address the new colleague formally.
plural: die Spitznamen
nickname
Mein Spitzname in der Schule war Mausi. — My nickname at school was Mausi.
plural: die Herren
sir, mister
Da ist ein Herr, der möchte Sie sprechen. — There is a gentleman who would like to speak with you.
plural: die Mädchennamen
maiden name
Sie hat ihren Mädchennamen nach der Heirat behalten. — She kept her maiden name after marrying.
marital status
Bei Personenstand musst du ledig ankreuzen. — For marital status you must check unmarried.
- gebürtigB2
native born / native
Er ist gebürtig aus München. — He is a native of Munich.
plural: die Grafen
a count / earl
Der Graf besitzt ein großes Schloss. — The count owns a large castle.
plural: die Herren
Mister
Der Herr sitzt im Café und liest die Zeitung. — The mister sits in the café and reads the newspaper.
plural: die Namen
name
Sein Name ist Friedrich und er kommt aus Berlin. — His name is Friedrich and he comes from Berlin.
plural: die Namensvetter
a namesake
Mein Namensvetter und ich teilen denselben Namen. — My namesake and I share the same name.
plural: die Vornamen
first name
Mein Vorname ist Anna. — My first name is Anna.
to title / call
Man titulierte ihn fälschlicherweise als Professor. — He was incorrectly called a professor.
How to learn this set
Notice that der Name splits into three compounds built on the same root: der Vorname (first name), der Nachname (surname), and der Spitzname (nickname), all sharing the masculine article. Der Familienname is just a longer, more formal synonym for der Nachname, so you're really learning one concept twice. Drill siezen and titulieren together since both deal with formal address, and remember der Name and der Herr belong to the small group of "weak nouns" that take -n or -en in every case except the nominative singular (den Namen, dem Herrn).
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Nachname and Familienname?
They both mean surname and are used interchangeably in everyday German. Familienname is slightly more formal and shows up more often on official documents.
Is Fräulein still used in German?
Rarely, and it can sound old-fashioned or even a bit condescending. Modern German uses Frau for all adult women, married or not.
Why does der Name change to den Namen or dem Namen?
Name belongs to a group of masculine nouns called weak nouns (like Herr and Graf) that add -n or -en in the accusative, dative, and genitive singular. Only the nominative form stays as Name.
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