Given name & surname · also Germanic
Werther
“a soldier worthy of the army”
Werther has medieval German roots and a powerful literary association through Goethe.
Original GermanWerder
Meaning & origin
What it means
One German interpretation is “a soldier worthy of the army.”
Where it comes from
A possible origin is Germanic, although the derivation remains uncertain.
The story
The name is recorded in the early medieval form Wertharius. Goethe later chose Werther for the hero of The Sorrows of Young Werther, published in 1774, giving the older name a new literary life.
Werther’s family of names
In German usage, Werther as a surname has a related form in WERDER.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Werther, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Cedric
Cedric has an unusually traceable literary beginning: Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe.
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Rhett
“a well-spoken man”
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Gerry
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Humphrey
“a peaceful warrior”
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Teger
“a wise poet”
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Cahmber
“resembling the jewe!”
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Wolfrem
“resembling a black wolf; a raven-wolf”
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Wolframe
“resembling a black wolf; a raven-wolf”
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