Names by country
Swiss names for characters
Popular Swiss first names by birth decade, common and regional surnames, pronunciation, and the naming rules writers trip over.
How Swiss names work
Switzerland has four language regions and names follow them: a Genevan and a Zürcher of the same age rarely share a first name. Every Swiss ID also shows a place of origin (Heimatort / lieu d'origine), the commune the family holds citizenship in, which often explains the surname.
First names by birth decade
Names drift in and out of fashion. Pick from the decade your character was born, not the year your story is set.
Born before 1950
Girls
- Margrit
- Ruth
- Elisabeth
- Verena feh-RAY-nah
- Rosmarie
- Marianne
- Heidi
- Hedwig
Boys
- Hans
- Peter
- Walter
- Ernst
- Fritz
- Werner
- Kurt
- Rudolf
Born 1950–64
Girls
- Ursula
- Monika
- Barbara
- Elisabeth
- Ruth
- Susanne
- Regula RAY-goo-lah
- Daniela
Boys
- Peter
- Daniel
- Thomas
- Urs OORS
- Beat BAY-aht
- Markus
- Martin
- Hans
Born 1965–79
Girls
- Sandra
- Nicole
- Daniela
- Andrea
- Claudia
- Karin
- Barbara
- Manuela
Boys
- Daniel
- Thomas
- Christian
- Stefan
- Michael
- Markus
- Andreas
- Martin
Born 1980–94
Girls
- Sarah
- Laura
- Sandra
- Nadine
- Jessica
- Melanie
- Stefanie
- Anna
Boys
- Michael
- Daniel
- David
- Marco
- Simon
- Patrick
- Fabian
- Thomas
Born 1995–2009
Girls
- Laura
- Lara
- Sara
- Lea
- Anna
- Julia
- Alina
- Céline say-LEEN
Boys
- Luca
- Noah
- Jan
- Simon
- David
- Leon
- Nico
- Joel YOH-el
Born 2010 onward
Girls
- Mia
- Emma
- Mila
- Sofia
- Lina
- Ella
- Elena
- Alina
Boys
- Noah
- Liam
- Matteo
- Luca
- Leon
- Elias
- Gabriel
- Louis
Common Swiss surnames
- Müller
- Meier
- Schmid
- Keller
- Weber
- Huber
- Schneider
- Meyer
- Steiner
- Fischer
- Gerber
- Brunner
- Baumann
- Frei
- Zimmermann
- Moser
- Widmer
- Wyss VEESS
- Graf
- Roth
Regional names
Where a character comes from inside Switzerland changes their surname, and sometimes their first name.
German-speaking Switzerland (Zürich, Bern, Basel, Lucerne)
Swiss German short forms are everyday names in their own right: Ruedi, Fritzli, Vreni, Käthi. Beat (two syllables, BAY-aht) is a classic Swiss boy's name.
Surnames: Müller, Meier, Schmid, Keller, Weber, Huber, Schneider, Steiner, Gerber, Brunner
Romandie (French-speaking: Geneva, Vaud, Valais)
Given names follow French fashions. Valais surnames ending in -az and -oz drop the final sound: Theytaz is said tay-TAH.
Surnames: Favre, Rochat, Bonvin, Pittet, Rey, Perret, Morand, Maillard, Rossier, Dubois
Ticino (Italian-speaking)
Given names follow Italian fashions; surnames share much with neighbouring Lombardy.
Surnames: Bernasconi, Ferrari, Rossi, Bianchi, Fontana, Pedrazzini, Galli, Lepori, Bassi, Cattaneo
Romansh Graubünden
Romansh is Switzerland's smallest national language. Many surnames begin Ca- (from casa, house).
Surnames: Caduff, Cavelti, Casutt, Derungs, Arpagaus, Cathomen, Tuor, Capaul, Vincenz, Cadruvi
Girls: Ursina, Mengia, Annina, Seraina, Ladina, Flurina, Corina, Nina
Boys: Gion, Duri, Flurin, Men, Curdin, Mirco, Gian, Reto
Questions
What are common Swiss surnames?
Some of the most common Swiss surnames are Müller, Meier, Schmid, Keller, Weber, Huber. Regional surnames differ, so check the regional lists before choosing one for a character from a particular area.
How do Swiss names work?
Switzerland has four language regions and names follow them: a Genevan and a Zürcher of the same age rarely share a first name. Every Swiss ID also shows a place of origin (Heimatort / lieu d'origine), the commune the family holds citizenship in, which often explains the surname.
Build a Swiss character in one tap
InkBorn gives them a name from the right decade, a face card, a background, a personality and even their social media handles.