Lotte

The first name Lotte is a diminutive of Charlotte and means 'the free one'. Its roots lie in the Old Germanic karlaz for 'free, young, little man' and the Old High German karal for 'man, husband, or beloved'.

What does the name Lotte mean?

The first name Lotte is a diminutive of Charlotte and means 'the free one'. Its roots lie in the Old Germanic karlaz for 'free, young, little man' and the Old High German karal for 'man, husband, or beloved'. Lotte was originally only a nickname that was eventually combined with other diminutives - particularly Liselotte was a popular German girl's name for a long time. As an independent first name, Lotte has only been used since the beginning of the 20th century. Especially in the 1920s and 1930s, Lotte was a common girl's name, but it gradually lost popularity during the 1940s and eventually fell out of fashion and into obscurity. Only since the turn of the millennium, likely due to the general trend towards Scandinavian names and the rise of the related name Lotta, has Lotte been increasingly given as a baby name again. Besides Germany, Lotte is also very common in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark. Other variants of Lotte include the names Lotti, Lottie, and Lotty.

Where does the name Lotte come from?

Etymology As a diminutive of Charlotte, the feminine pet form of the English and French name Charles, the first name Lotte also has its origin in the Old High German name Karl, which likely goes back to the Ur-Germanic karaz (man) or its pet form karlaz (young, little man) as well as their further development karal (man, husband, beloved). In Middle Low German, this developed into the term 'Kerl' as a medieval designation for 'free citizen' or 'free man', which is why all first names derived from Carl/Karl are often translated as 'the free one'.

How do you pronounce Lotte?

Sound & pronunciation of Lotte: The name Lotte is two syllables and compactly constructed. In German pronunciation, it is usually pronounced as 'Lot-te' [ˈlɔtə], with the doubling of the 't' creating a denser middle. The soft ending on '-te' brings balance to the sound. Lotte feels traditional and lively - down-to-earth, friendly, and present.

When is the name day of Lotte?

The name day for Lotte is July 17.

Popularity

The girl's name Lotte was among the top 20 to top 30 in Germany from 1880 to 1909. It reached placements around the top 20 multiple times, at times even close to the top 15. Thus, around 1900, it was a well-established and widespread first name. From 1910 to 1935, the name mostly ranged between the top 30 and top 100. It remained regularly represented but gradually lost its peak character.

Nicknames & pet names

Charlotte / Kalotte / Karotte / Karrote / Lodde / Loddi / Lolo / Lolotte / Lotchen / Lote / Lotschke / Lotte Karotte / Lotti / Lotti Karotti / Lottli / Lotto / Lotts / Löttchen

Similar first names

Famous people

• Kreuz Lotte-Onsabrück (motorway junction between Osnabrück and Ibbenbüren)
• Lotte from Krachmacher-Straße (character from the children's novel of the same name by Astrid Lindgren)
• Lotte Betke (German actress)
• Lotte Denkhaus (writer from Russia)
• Lotte Fochler-Frömel (Austrian designer)
• Lotte Friis (Danish swimmer)
• Lotte Gleichmann (German painter)
• Lotte Goslar (German ballet dancer)
• Lotte H. Eisner (German historian)
• Lotte Hass (Austrian model)
• Lotte Labowsky (German philosopher)
• Lotte Laserstein (German painter)
• Lotte Ledl (actress from Austria)
• Lotte Lenya (singer, actress, and cabaret artist)
• Lotte Meckauer (writer from Germany)
• Lotte Motz (writer from Austria)
• Lotte Müller (character from Else Ury's 'Nesthäkchen')
• Lotte Nogler (American alpine ski racer)
• Lotte Oldenburg-Wittig (painter from Germany)
• Lotte Paepcke (German writer)