German Names for Pets Haustiernamen

If you want a cool German name for your dog, cat or other pet, this list can help you find the right one. While people in German-speaking countries sometimes name their pets with English names, this list includes only German or Germanic pet names.

Inspirations for German Pet Names

Literary Germanic names include Kafka, Goethe, Freud (or Siggi/Sigmund) and Nietzsche. Famous Germanic music figures include Amadeus, Mozart or Beethoven. The names of German pop singers like Falco (who was Austrian), Udo Lindenberg, or Nena are also popular for pets.

The names of figures out of German literature include Siegfried (m.) or Kriemhild (f.) from the Nibelungenlied, or Goethe's Faust versus Mephistopholes. On the lighter side, you could go with Idefix, the dog in the popular European "Asterix" cartoon series, the rotund Obelix character or the hero Asterix himself.

Germanic names or words with a certain meaning include Adalhard (noble and strong), Baldur (bold), Blitz (lightning, fast), Gerfried (spear/peace), Gerhard (strong spear), Hugo (smart), Heidi (based on feminine names containing heid or heide; Adelheid = noble one), Traude/Traute (dear, trusted) or Reinhard (decisive/strong). Although few Germans today would be caught dead with such names, they're still great pet names.

Other categories for pet names include movie characters (Strolch, Tramp in "The Lady and the Tramp"), colors (Barbarossa [red], Lakritz[e] [licorice, black], Silber, Schneeflocke [snowflake]), drinks (Whisky, Wodka) and other characteristics of your pet.

German Cat Names

Just as with dogs, there are some typical, clichéd names for cats. The German equivalent of "kitty" is Mieze or Miezekatze (pussycat). Muschi is a very common cat name, but since it carries all the same meanings as "pussy" in English, you need to be careful about throwing it into a German conversation. But there's nothing wrong with the word as a name for your cat.

One top-10 list of cat names in German ranked the following feline appellations: Felix, Minka, Moritz, Charly, Tiger (tee-gher), Max, Susi, Lisa, Blacky, and Muschi, in that order. Some lists also include names for couples or pairs (Pärchen), such as Max und Moritz (from the Wilhelm Busch stories), Bonnie und Clyde or Antonius und Kleopatra. 

Alphabetical List of German Pet Names

Names ending in -chen, -lein, or -li are diminutives (little, y-ending in English). Although most are just names (e.g., Beethoven, Elfriede, etc.), in some cases the English meaning for a German name is indicated: Adler (eagle). 

Names for females are marked (f.). Other names are masculine or work with both genders. Names marked * are usually for cats.

A

Abbo
Achim
Adalheid/Adelheid (f.)
Adi
Adler (eagle)
Afram
Agatha/Agathe (f.)
Aico/Aiko
Aladin
Alois
Amadeus (Mozart)
Ambros
Anka (f.)
Annelies (f.)
Antje (f.)
Arndt
Arno
Asterix
Attila
Axel

B

Bach
Beethoven, Brahms
Baldo
Baldur
Balko
Bär/Bärchen (bear)
Bärbel (f., pron. BEAR-bel)
Bärli (little bear)
Beate (f., pron. bay-AH-tuh)
Bello (barker)
Bengel (rascal, lad)
Benno
Bernd
Bernhard
Bertolt (Brecht)
Biene (bee, pron. BEE-nuh)
Bismarck, Otto von
Blaubart (bluebeard)
Blitz (lightning)
Blümchen (f., little flower)
Böhnchen (beanie)
Boris (Becker)
Brandy
Brecht
Britta (f.)
Brummer (roarer)
Brunhild(e) (from Wagnerian opera and the Germanic 'Nibelungenlied' legend)

C

Carl/Karl
Carlchen
Cäsar (Caesar, Kaiser)
Charlotta/Charlotte (f.)
Cissy (Sissi) (f.)

D

Dagmar (f.)
Dierk
Dina (f.)
Dino
Dirk
(A-)Dur (A major, music)
Dux/Duxi

E

Edel (noble)
Egon
Eiger
Eike
Eisbär
Eitel
Elfriede/Elfi/Elfie (f.)
Elmar
Emil
Engel (angel)
Engelchen/Engelein (little angel)

F

Fabian
Fabio/Fabius
Falco/Falko
Falk (hawk)
Falka (f.)
Fanta (f.)
Fatima (f.)
Fantom (ghost, phantom)
Faust/Fausto
Fee (f., fairy, pron. FAY)
Felicitas/Felizitas (f.)
Felidae* (loyal, true)
Felix (Mendelssohn)
Fels (rock)
Ferdi, Ferdinand
Fidelio (Beethoven opera)
Fix (und Foxi, cartoon characters)
Flach (flat)
Flegel (brat)
Flocke/Flocki (fluffy)
Floh (flea)
Flöhchen (little flea)
Florian
Fokus
Foxi (f.)
Francis
Franz
Freda (f.)
Freja (f.)
Freud (Sigmund)
Frida (f.)
Fritz (Freddy)
Fuzzi (sl., weirdo)

G

Gabi (f.)
Gauner (rascal, rogue)
Genie (genius, pron. ZHUH-nee)
Gertrud(e)
der Gestiefelte Kater*
Puss in Boots
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang
Golo (Mann)
Götz
Greif (griffin)
Günther (Grass, German author)

H

Hagen
Haiko/Heiko
Halka (f.)
Halla (f.)
Handke, Peter
Hannes
Hanno
Hans
Hänsel (und Gretel)
Haro/Harro
Hasso
Heinrich (Henry)
Hein(o)
Heintje
Hektor
Helge (Schneider, m.)
Hera
Hexe/Hexi (f., witch)
Heyda
Hilger
Holger
Horaz

I

Idefix (from Asterix comic)
Ignaz
Igor
Ilka (f.)
Ilsa (f.)
Ingo
Ixi

J

Jan (m.)
Janka (f.)
Janko
Johann(es), Hansi (Johnny)
Joshka (Fischer, German politician)
Julika (f.)

K

Kaffee (coffee)
Kafka, Franz
Kai (pron. KYE)
Kaiser (emperor)
Kaiser Wilhelm
Karl/Carl
Karla (f.)
Karl der Große (Charlemagne)
König (king)
Königin (f., queen)
Kröte (toad, minx)
Krümel (little one, crumb)
Krümelchen
Kuschi
Kuschel (cuddles)

L

Landjunker (squire)
Lausbub (rascal)
Laster
Laika (f., first dog in space - Russian name)
Lena
Leni (Riefenstahl, f., film director)
Liebling (darling, sweetheart)
Lola (rennt, f.)
Lotti/Lotty (f.)
Lukas
Lulu (f.)
Lümmel
Lump(i) (rogue, blackguard)
Lutz

M

Maja/Maya (f.)
Manfred
Margit (f.)
Marlene (Dietrich, f.)
Max (und Moritz)
Meiko
Miau* (meow)
Miesmies*
Mieze*
Mina/Minna (f.)
Mischa
Monika (f.)
Moppel (tubby)
Moritz
Motte (moth)
Murr*
Muschi*
Muzius*

N

Nana (granny, f.)
Nena (f.)
Nietzsche, Friedrich
Nina (f.)
Nixe (mermaid, sprite)
Norbert

O

Obelix (from Asterix comic)
Odin (Wodan)
Odo
Orkan (hurricane)
Oskar
Ossi (und Wessi)
Otfried
Ottmar
Otto (von Bismarck)
Ottokar

P

Pala
Panzer (tank)
Papst (pope)
Paulchen
Pestalozzi, Johann Heinrich (Swiss educator)
Piefke  "Piefke" is Austrian or Bavarian slang for a "Prussian" or northern German, similar to the term "gringo" used by Mexicans.
Platon (Plato)
Poldi (male nickname)
Prinz (prince)
Purzel(baum) (somersault, tumble)

Q

Quax
Queck

R

Reiko
Rolf
Romy (Schneider, f.)
Rudi/Rüdi
Rüdiger

S

Schatzi (sweetie, treasure)
Schnuffi
Schufti
Schupo (cop)
Sebastian
Semmel
Siegfried (from Wagnerian opera and the Germanic 'Nibelungenlied' legend)
Siggi
Sigmund (Freud)
Sigrid (f.)
Sigrun (f.) (Wagner opera)
Sissi (f.)
Steffi (Graf, f.)
Sternchen (little star)
Susi (und Strolch)  German names for Disney's "Lady and the Tramp"

T

Tanja (f.)
Traude/Traute (f.)
Traugott
Tristan (und Isolde)
Trudi (f.)

U

Udo (Lindenberg)
Ufa
Uli/Ulli
Ulrich
Ulrike (f.)
Ursula (Andress, f.)
Uschi (f.)
Uwe

V

Viktor
Viktoria (f.)
Volker

W

Waldi
Waldtraude/Waldtraut (f.)
Whisky
Wilhelm/Willi
Wolf (pron. VOLF)
Wolfgang (Amadeus Mozart)
Wotan (Odin)
Wurzel

Z

Zack (pow, zap)
Zimper-Pimpel
Zosch
Zuckerl (sweetie)
Zuckerpuppe (sweetie pie)