These are the most common names that receive financial assistance from the government.
Around 5.5 million people in Germany receive Bürgergeld (citizen’s allowance). Following a request by the political party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), the Bundesministerium für Arbeit (Federal Ministry of Labour) released data revealing the most common first names among benefit recipients.
The request was submitted by رايموند شايريش, deputy chairman of the AfD district association in Augsburg and a member of the Bundestag’s economic committee. He asked the government to provide the 14 most common first names of people receiving Bürgergeld under §19 of the Sozialgesetzbuch II (Social Code Book II). Due to privacy laws, only first names were included in the response.
The Bundesministerium für Arbeit (Federal Ministry of Labour) responded with a list based on data from June 2025. According to the ministry, the most common male names among Bürgergeld recipients include Michael (19,200), Andreas (16,200), Thomas (15,700), Daniel (14,800), Alexander (13,800), Christian (13,400), Ahmad (13,700), Ali (13,500), and Mohammad (12,500).
Among female recipients, the most frequent names listed were Olena (14,400), Anna (12,400), Oleksandr (12,000), Tetiana (11,400), and Iryna (10,600). The data was confirmed by كاتيا ماست, Parliamentary State Secretary in the Ministry of Labour from the SPD (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands – Social Democratic Party of Germany).
The reason behind AfD’s interest in the first names of benefit recipients remains unclear. Critics argue that first names reveal little about a person’s background, life circumstances, or eligibility for welfare support. Observers note that this is not the first time the party has requested similar name-based data.
In a previous case, an AfD member of parliament requested information about the 20 most common first names of suspects with German citizenship linked to knife attacks in 2023. The Berlin Senate initially rejected the request, citing concerns that individuals could potentially be identified. However, the Verfassungsgericht Berlin (Berlin Constitutional Court) later ruled that the rejection lacked legal justification.
Meanwhile, the German government is planning reforms to the country’s welfare system. The coalition of Union (CDU/CSU) and SPD (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands – Social Democratic Party of Germany) intends to replace Bürgergeld with a new form of Grundsicherung (basic income support) for job seekers. Officials say the new system could include stricter sanctions for recipients, although the timeline and final details of the reform remain uncertain.