Why Germany Is Called "Germany": From Germania to Deutschland

The English name Germany derives from Latin Germania, used by Julius Caesar (1st century BCE) for the lands east of the Rhine and north of the Danube inhabited by Germanic tribes.

The etymology of Germania is debated; a leading theory links it to a Celtic root *gair ("neighbor") or *ger ("spear"), meaning "neighbors" or "spear-men." The Romans adopted the term from Gallic informants.

In German, the country is Deutschland (from Old High German diutisc "of the people" + land). Other languages use variants: Allemagne (French, from Alemanni tribe), Alemania (Spanish), Germania (Italian), Niemcy (Polish, from "mute/foreign").

The official name is the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesrepublik Deutschland).