Origins of the German surname

About the Germans

We have a total of 19100 records for people with the last name German.

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    I’ve managed to trace back to the mid-1500s! I can’t believe it! Utterly engrossing and I have uncovered some quite moving and heartbreaking stories attached to various ancestors. You don’t need any qualifications to start - just time patience, and some information.
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    Stuart
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    Delve deeper into the German family's history

    OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 26North West 58Isle of Man 1Yorkshire 67East Midlands 38West Midlands 32East 86London 299South East 90South West 223South Wales 18Mid Wales 6West WalesNorth Wales 10Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

    In 1921, most Germans lived in london

    Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

    4,900 German Travel & migration records
    14,000 Germans found in all Census records

    Interesting facts about German

    How common is your surname?

    You have a rare surname! It's not in the top 1000 UK surnames!

    We have for the German surname. The oldest one dates back to 1100.

    Who were Germans most likely to marry?

    Our tell us which families married Germans.

    What are the most common German first names?

    John

    William

    Mary

    Elizabeth

    Our tell us the names of German family members
    Man with milk churns and census card collage
    Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

    Common jobs for Germans

    Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

    Commmon female occupations for Germans in 1921

    Dressmaker

    95

    Laundress

    46

    Domestic Servant

    37

    Cotton Weaver

    33

    Charwoman

    32

    Commmon male occupations for Germans in 1921

    Carpenter

    74

    Agricultural Labourer

    64

    Tailor

    55

    General Labourer

    52

    Farm Labourer

    39

    We found over 91,000 family trees with the German surname

    Trace your family back in time and see what other Findmypast family historians in our genealogy community have discovered about the Germans.

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    Learn more about the lives of German family members

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