Werner

Did you know?

A few things about Werner you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Werner

Werner Herzog

German film director, producer, screenwriter, actor and opera director (born 1942)

Choose Werner and your child shares a first name with Werner Herzog, a German film director, producer, screenwriter, actor and opera director. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Werner, like who?” Werner Herzog's Wikipedia article is available in 78 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Werner Herzog on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Nicolas Genin, CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 169,492 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Werner, 10 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Werner would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryWerner first shows up in US birth records in 1889, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 136 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1930, when it ranked #634. Today it's #7,679, so it could be due a comeback.
• 💬MeaningIn German, Werner means “protecting army”. Our records link it to English, French and German roots.

About the name Werner

Werner is a boy name of English, French and German origin meaning “protecting army”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with W and ending in “-ner”. US birth records list Werner for boys from 1889 to 2025, in 127 of those 137 years. Its best year was 1930, when it ranked #634 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #7,679, with 10 babies.

Origin:English namesFrench namesGerman names