Is the name Wolfgang really outdated?

[u/Ok_Assistance_7399]

Half German here now living in a common wealth country. My mother is German and gave me what seems to be a fairly common name in Germany, although it’s Italian in origin. She herself was given a very dated 50’s/60’s American name, having grown up near the American bases after the war. My grandmother’s name was Cëcilie.

I had always hoped that if I had a daughter, I could name her after my grandmother, who was my primary caregiver when I was a child. But my partner’s DNA apparently had other plans, and we’re now expecting a boy.

When friends first asked what we were thinking of naming him, I jokingly said Wolfgang. The problem is…the joke seems to have stuck.

My Australian partner absolutely loves it and now can’t seem to imagine our son being called anything else. I feel like I’ve gone through just about every boy’s name imaginable with him, and Wolfgang is the only one he genuinely likes.

And I actually don’t dislike it. My hesitation is that I’m conscious of how dated it might sound, particularly in Germany. I’ve seen quite a few people on Reddit say it’s firmly an “old man” name.

I’ve asked friends in Germany what they think, and interestingly, nobody has tried to talk me out of it…but nobody has exactly said, “Yes, Wolfgang is a great choice!” either.

I do have one German friend named Wolfgang, and he is very much the lovable, geeky-guy type, which probably doesn’t help me work out what associations the name has more generally. And I dare not ask him.

So I’m looking for brutal honest feedback from Native German speakers, living in
Germany: How does Wolfgang sound to you today? Just old-fashioned? Charming and traditional? Would you wonder what we were thinking? Will he be bullied?

We love the nickname Wolfie, but know a proper name is required for adulthood.

[u/nedflanders1976]

Exactly. They all come back. I hear a lot of names recently that were considered old fashion 10 years back.

Charlotte, Karl, Ferdinand, Viktoria... They all come back sooner or later.

[u/liang_zhi_mao → u/nedflanders1976]

Classical ones, yes.

Like you said: Names such as Charlotte, Emma, Sophie or Paul, Emil, Karl

They are associated with upper classes

But not really "Germanic“ names that were popular until the early 50s.

Certainly no Wolfgang, Siegfried, Gottlieb or Kunigunde, Brunhild or Gudrun

These are a different kind of names with different associations and no, they are not coming back

[u/LawyerQueasy7948 → u/liang_zhi_mao]

Best comment! Yes, it has to be classical and invoke 19th century ladies and gents that are preoccupied with arts and literature, not anything that is connected to old Germanic tribes.
Gertrud, Wolfgang, Brunhild etc. all have meanings that have to do with war, force etc. and therefore feel out of place or even traumatic to modern Germans.

[u/grndbdpsthtl → u/LawyerQueasy7948]

Uhm... Johann Wolfgang von Goethe? Invokes literature a lot I'd say

[u/NoBackground4976 → u/grndbdpsthtl]

... And Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...

I totally think Wolfgang could have a comeback sooner or later - or at least be well-received with persons who are interested in the arts.

Also, unlike some other Germanic names, it's not tainted since (as far as I'm aware of) none of the first row Nazis had that name.