Germany's most beloved names for newborns have been confirmed once again, with Sophia and Noah holding their ground at the very top of the national rankings. According to the Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache (GfdS), Germany's Society for the German Language, the pair retained their positions for the third consecutive year, a milestone that underlines just how deeply these names have embedded themselves in the country's naming culture.
The findings, announced by the Wiesbaden-based organisation, are drawn from data submitted by registry offices across Germany.
The GfdS has tracked Germany's most popular given names every year since 1977, drawing exclusively on records from civil registration offices, known as Standesämter. For the 2025 edition, a total of 749 registry offices nationwide contributed their data, collectively submitting more than 830,000 individual name entries.
This represents nearly 91 percent of all first names given to babies born in Germany last year, a figure that gives the rankings a high degree of statistical authority. Across all entries, close to 65,000 distinct names were recorded.
Among girls, Sophia, including its alternative spelling Sofia, secured first place with a share of 1.33 percent of all female first names registered. The name has now anchored the top of the girls' list for three years in a row, a consistency that speaks to its enduring appeal among German parents.
Emma and Emilia continued their presence in second and third place respectively, though the two swapped positions compared to the previous year. Mia and Lina followed in fourth and fifth, while Ella moved up a spot to sixth place. Rounding out the top ten were Hanna/Hannah, Klara/Clara, Mila, and Lia/Liah, a set of names that reflect a broader preference for soft, melodic sounds and classic European roots.
Taken as a whole, the girls' top ten showed only modest reshuffling. There were no dramatic newcomers or notable departures; instead, the list points to a settled, stable preference landscape in which familiar names continue to resonate with parents year after year.
The chart below ranks the ten most popular first names given to newborn girls and boys in Germany in 2025. Each row shows the name's position, a bar reflecting its share of all first names given, and the exact percentage. The green badge indicates how many places a name climbed compared to 2024.
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On the boys' side, Noah topped the rankings with 1.48 percent of all male first names, the highest share of any name on either list. Like Sophia, Noah has now held the number one position for three consecutive years, cementing its status as a modern classic rather than a passing trend.
While the upper end of the girls' chart remained largely settled, the boys' list told a more dynamic story. Two names in particular made striking advances. Theo jumped from seventh place to third, one of the most significant single-year gains seen in recent rankings. Leo made an even more dramatic leap, climbing from twelfth place all the way to fourth, a move that signals a clear and growing enthusiasm for short, punchy names among German families.
Mateo, encompassing several spelling variations including Mat(h)eo and Matt(h)eo, held second place, continuing its strong run. Emil, Leon, Elias, Paul, Luca/Luka, and Henry/Henri completed the top ten, with several of these names carrying long-standing popularity across German-speaking countries.
Dr. Andrea-Eva Ewels, Managing Director of the GfdS, noted that Noah and Sophia have established themselves as modern classics, while the rise of Theo and Leo reflects a wider appetite among parents for names that are short and distinctively pronounced.
The GfdS data also captures meaningful differences in naming preferences between Germany's regions. In the south, names with Christian and biblical origins tend to appear more frequently than in the north.
Alongside religious influences, regional identity, local tradition, and historical factors continue to shape the choices parents make, meaning that the national top ten only tells part of the story. Significant variation exists between eastern and western Germany as well, with distinct regional preferences persisting across both parts of the country.
The GfdS also publishes a combined ranking that accounts for all name entries, first names and middle names together. When the full picture is taken into account, the girls' list is led by Marie, Sophie/Sofie, and Maria, names that carry strong traditional and religious resonance. Among boys, the combined ranking is topped by Noah, Mateo, and Paul.
The annual GfdS name survey has been a fixture of German cultural life for nearly five decades. Its longevity makes it one of the most consistent and comprehensive records of naming trends in any German-speaking country.
The breadth of participation, 749 registry offices contributing data on close to 91 percent of all names given last year, ensures that the findings genuinely reflect national patterns rather than regional snapshots. For parents, linguists, and anyone curious about how cultural preferences shift over time, the list remains an invaluable annual reference point.
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