What Is Your Name in German?

Informal vs. formal — the du/Sie distinction

German has two ways of saying "you" — du (informal, for friends, family, children, classmates) and Sie (formal, for strangers, officials, work contexts, anyone older or in authority). This affects almost every question you ask, including "what is your name":

• Wie heißt du? — "What is your name?" (informal)
• Wie heißen Sie? — "What is your name?" (formal)
• Wie ist dein Name? — a slightly more direct informal alternative
• Wie ist Ihr Name? — the formal equivalent, common at receptions, offices, and appointments

If you're ever unsure which to use, default to the formal Sie version — it's always safe to be more polite, and people will usually tell you if you can switch to "du."

How to answer

• Ich heiße Anna. — "My name is Anna." The most natural, commonly used answer.
• Mein Name ist Anna. — "My name is Anna." Slightly more formal, common in professional introductions or on the phone.
• Ich bin Anna. — "I am Anna." Short, casual, perfectly natural among friends.

A full introduction, step by step

A first meeting in German typically follows a simple, predictable pattern — perfect for beginners to memorize as a block:

A: "Hallo! Wie heißt du?" (Hi! What's your name?)
B: "Ich heiße Marco. Und du?" (My name is Marco. And you?)
A: "Ich heiße Priya. Woher kommst du?" (My name is Priya. Where are you from?)
B: "Ich komme aus Indien. Und du?" (I'm from India. And you?)

Related questions you'll need right after

Why this matters from lesson one

Introducing yourself is the very first real conversation every German learner has, and it's exactly where our German A1 course starts — greetings, names, where you're from, and simple questions, before moving on to grammar. Getting comfortable with this exchange early builds the confidence to keep speaking as the vocabulary grows.