Till

Till is a short or diminutive form of first names with the initial syllable 'Diet-', which has its roots in Old High German diot (people). Thus, Till would simply mean 'the people'.

What does the name Till mean?

Till is a short or diminutive form of first names with the initial syllable 'Diet-', which has its roots in Old High German diot (people). Thus, Till would simply mean 'the people'. However, since the name Till is mostly regarded as a diminutive of Dietrich, it can also be translated as 'ruler of the people'. In Northern Germany, the first name Till has a completely different origin. There, it derives from the Old Frisian til (good, capable) and means 'the capable'. The most famous bearer of the name in history is the literary character Till Eulenspiegel, a wandering jester and the main character in a medieval folk book from the 16th century. Although the first name Till is not among the most common boy names in Germany, it is relatively popular and widespread, especially in Northern Germany. The shorter spelling Til is somewhat rarer.

Where does the name Till come from?

Etymology Till is a diminutive of names with the syllable 'Diet-', such as Dietrich, which traces back to the Old High German diot (people). A similarity between 'Till' and 'Diet' is not immediately recognizable. This is because the diminutive Till has developed through several intermediate forms. Names with the syllable 'Diet-' were initially transformed into the diminutive form Dietilo, from which further diminutive and short forms like Thilo, Tille, and also Till emerged. In Northern Germany, the first name Till has a completely different origin. There, it derives from the Old Frisian til (good, capable).

How do you pronounce Till?

Sound & Pronunciation of Till: The name Till is monosyllabic and compact. In German pronunciation, it is usually pronounced as 'Till' [tɪl], with the short vowel providing directness in sound. The simple sound structure gives the name clarity. Till has a Nordic and straightforward feel - modern, calm, and present.

Popularity

Till is a very popular first name in Germany. Currently, it ranks 92nd in the list of the most common male baby names. Its best placement was in 2007, reaching 62nd place. Over the last ten years, Till has been given as a first name about 10,000 times, placing it 74th in the ten-year statistics. From 2010 to 2024, it ranks 71st.

Nicknames & pet names

Am Till / Dill / Ilo / Thüllamnn / Thüllmann / Ti / Tilek / Tilldo / Tille / Tiller / Tillfinger / Tilli / Tilli Bumbilli / Tilli Vanilli / Tillibilly / Tilliboy / Tillimancharo / Tillinger / Tillkopf / Tillmann / Tillminator / Tillo / Tillobert / Tillodo / Tillofon / Tillognese / Tillou / Tillowitsch / Tillsi / Tillus / Tillyvanilly / Tillzen / Töll / Tühllmann / Tühlmann / Tüll

Similar first names

Famous people

• Til Schweiger (actor)
• Till Backhaus (politician)
• Till Beckmann (German football player)
• Till Benjamin Nowak (German film director)
• Till Bettenstaedt (German footballer)
• Till Brönner (German trumpeter)
• Till Brummer (bassist with Kraftklub)
• Till Carriere (German actor)
• Till Demtröder (actor)
• Till Drobisch (German racing cyclist)
• Till Eulenspiegel (literary character)
• Till Fellner (pianist from Austria)
• Till Furthmann (football player from Germany)
• Till Gerhard (German artist)
• Till Helmke (German sprinter)
• Till Hermandung (football player from Germany)
• Till Hoheneder (musician from Germany)
• Till Kinzel (German historian)
• Till Kirsten (German physicist)
• Till Lindemann (singer of the band Rammstein)