Dietrich

Dietrich is a German given name and surname. Etymology traces the name to Old High German Theodoric, from the elements theud- “people” and -ric “ruler, power,” yielding a meaning along the lines of “ruler of the people.” Variants include Dieter, Dietrich, and Theodoric in different languages. In German tradition the name is closely linked to Theodoric the Great, who is known in German as Dietrich von Bern, a legendary king and hero.

The name is used primarily in German-speaking countries and communities, where it remains a traditional male given name. Outside those contexts, Dietrich appears mainly in historical, literary, or familial settings. It is generally regarded as masculine, with feminine forms being rare.

Notable individuals with the given name Dietrich include Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945), a German Lutheran pastor and anti-Nazi dissident; Dietrich Eckart (1868–1923), a German journalist and early influence on the Nazi movement; Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (1925–2014), a renowned German lyric baritone; Dietrich Mateschitz (1944–2022), an Austrian entrepreneur and co-founder of Red Bull; and Dietrich von Hildebrand (1889–1977), a Catholic philosopher and theologian. In literature and legend, Dietrich von Bern is a central figure, identified with Theodoric the Great, appearing in medieval Germanic heroic poetry and associated cycles.

See also references to Germanic heroic tradition and the cultural uses of the name in literature and onomastics. The name Dietrich continues to be encountered in contemporary German-speaking contexts, though it is less common for newborns in many regions today.