Süddeutscher

Süddeutscher is a German demonym and adjective meaning "South German." It designates a person from the southern part of the German-speaking area or something associated with southern Germany. In everyday use it most often refers to residents of Bavaria (Bayern) and Baden-Württemberg, but it can also apply to people from adjacent areas in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, or to speakers of southern German dialects such as Bavarian (Bairisch) or Swabian (Schwäbisch). The masculine singular form is Süddeutscher; the feminine singular form is Süddeutsche; the plural form is die Süddeutschen.

Historically, the term appears in references to the Süddeutscher Bund, a 19th-century loose coalition of southern German states seeking cooperation before the unification of Germany. The phrase is mainly of historical and sociological relevance today.

In modern usage the term is common in regional and cultural discussions, often distinguishing southern German customs, cuisine, and speech from northern traditions. It is not a formal political category, though it can surface in debates about regional identity within Germany. The name of the major national newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung contains the root of the same word but is a proper noun describing a publication rather than a demonym.

See also Norddeutscher; Süddeutsche Zeitung; Baden-Württemberg; Bavaria.