Americans in Germany or American Germans (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

: Amerikanische Deutsche or Amerikodeutsche) refers to the American population in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and their German-born descendants. According to Destatis, 300,000 - 400,000 Americans live in Germany. 200,000 of them in Rhineland-Palatinate

At the same time, more than 40,000 members of the US military and 15,000 civilian employees of American citizenship are permanently in Germany, with a strong presence in Kaiserslautern, which in the 1950s became the largest US military community outside of the United States. In addition, there are significant numbers of American

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...

s in Germany, especially professionals sent abroad by their companies and an increasing number of college students and graduates (also due to the affordable higher

education system The educational system generally refers to the structure of all institutions and the opportunities for obtaining education within a country. It includes all pre-school institutions, starting from family education, and/or early childhood education ...

and the favorable

quality of life Quality of life (QOL) is defined by the World Health Organization as "an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards ...

). By December 2013, the largest American diasporas in Germany are

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

with over 50,000.

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

with over 16,000 people, and the area around Darmstadt with about 13,000 people.

Military backgrounds

Deutschland Besatzungszonen 8 Jun 1947 - 22 Apr 1949 amerikanisch

A large portion of the American-German population has a military background. Great numbers of American soldiers were stationed in Germany after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The

Occupation statute The Occupation Statute of Germany (german: Besatzungsstatut) of April 10, 1949 specified the roles and responsibilities of the newly created government of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the Allied High Commission. It was draw ...

of 1949 set regulations for the post-war time within

Allied-occupied Germany Germany was already de facto occupied by the Allies from the real fall of Nazi Germany in World War II on 8 May 1945 to the establishment of the East Germany on 7 October 1949. The Allies (United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and Franc ...

. Numerous American military installations were established during this time, and eventually hundreds were in place, mainly in

Southern Germany Southern Germany () is a region of Germany which has no exact boundary, but is generally taken to include the areas in which Upper German dialects are spoken, historically the stem duchies of Bavaria and Swabia or, in a modern context, Bavaria ...

. At the time of German

Reunification A political union is a type of political entity which is composed of, or created from, smaller polities, or the process which achieves this. These smaller polities are usually called federated states and federal territories in a federal governm ...

in 1990, there were still about 200,000 US soldiers in Germany. By 2014, the number had been steadily reduced to 42,450 stationed in 38 facilities. During

General

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

and the American

War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War (1789–1947) See also * War Office, a former department of the British Government * Ministry of defence * Ministry of War * Ministry of Defence * D ...

enforced a strict non-

fraternization Fraternization (from Latin ''frater'', brother) is "to become brothers" by conducting social relations with people who are actually unrelated and/or of a different class (especially those with whom one works) as if they were siblings, family memb ...

policy regarding contact between American military personnel and German citizens. After the war this prohibition was mitigated in several steps and finally abandoned in Austria and Germany in September 1945. In the earliest stages of the Allied occupation US soldiers were not allowed to pay maintenance for a child they admitted having fathered, since to do so was considered as "aiding the enemy". Marriages between white American soldiers and German women were not permitted until December 1946.

Notable American-Germans

* Baldur von Schirach, head of the

Hitler Youth The Hitler Youth (german: Hitlerjugend , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth organisation of the Nazi Party in Germany. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. ...

. * Manfred Curry, Olympic sailor, yacht designer and medical practitioner *

Kirsten Dunst Kirsten Caroline Dunst (; born April 30, 1982) is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the short ''Oedipus Wrecks'' directed by Woody Allen in the anthology film '' New York Stories'' (1989). She then gained recognition for her ro ...

, American actress of German descent, holds German citizenship. *

David Garrett David Christian Bongartz (born 4 September 1980), known by his stage name David Garrett, is a German classical and crossover violinist and recording artist. Early life When Garrett was four years old his father purchased a violin for his ol ...

, pop artist and violinist. *

Ernst Hanfstaengl Ernst Franz Sedgwick Hanfstaengl (; 2 February 1887 – 6 November 1975) was a German-American businessman and close friend of Adolf Hitler. He eventually fell out of favour with Hitler and defected from Nazi Germany to the United States. He lat ...

, ex-Nazi and intelligence worker for the Americans during

. *

Emil Jannings Emil Jannings (born Theodor Friedrich Emil Janenz, 23 July 1884 – 2 January 1950) was a Swiss born German actor, popular in the 1920s in Hollywood. He was the first recipient of the Academy Award for Best Actor for his roles in '' The La ...

, actor. *

Carlos Kleiber Carlos Luis Bonifacio Kleiber (3 July 1930 – 13 July 2004) was an Austrian conductor who is widely regarded as among the greatest conductors of all time. Early life Kleiber was born as Karl Ludwig Bonifacius Kleiber in Berlin in 1930, the ...

, German-born Austrian conductor. *

Boris Kodjoe Boris Frederic Cecil Tay-Natey Ofuatey-Kodjoe (; born March 8, 1973) is a German actor, producer, and former model best known for his roles as Kelby in the 2002 film ''Brown Sugar'', the sports-courier agent Damon Carter on the Showtime drama se ...

, Austrian-born American actor. Ghanaian father and German mother. *

Dee Dee Ramone Douglas Glenn Colvin (September 18, 1951 – June 5, 2002), better known by his stage name Dee Dee Ramone, was an American musician. He was the bassist and a founding member of the punk rock band Ramones. Throughout the band's existence, he wa ...

, American-born bassist and songwriter ( Ramones). *

Bruce Willis Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series ''Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and appeared in over a hundred films, gaining recognition as an action hero a ...

, actor.

In sports

* Terrence Boyd, football player (

Hallescher FC Hallescher FC, sometimes still called by its former popular name Chemie Halle, is a German association football club based in Halle an der Saale, Saxony-Anhalt. The club currently plays in the 3. Liga, the third highest level in the German footb ...

) * John Brooks, football player (

VfL Wolfsburg Verein für Leibesübungen Wolfsburg e. V., commonly known as VfL Wolfsburg () or Wolfsburg, is a German professional sports club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. The club grew out of a multi-sports club for Volkswagen workers in the city of W ...

) *

Lamont Bryan Lamont Bryan (born ) is a Jamaica international rugby league footballer who plays for the London Skolars in Betfred League 1. Lamont Bryan's usual position is . He can also operate at , or . Background Bryan was born in Germany to an African- ...

, German-born Jamaican rugby player (

London Skolars The London Skolars are a professional rugby league club based at the New River Stadium, Wood Green, Haringey in north London. They were founded in 1995 and have been professional since 2003, operating in the Betfred League 1. They also run an ...

) * Timothy Chandler, football player (

Eintracht Frankfurt Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The team is currently playing in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the Germa ...

) * Royal-Dominique Fennell, football player ( 1899 Hoffenheim II) * Julian Green, American-born football player ( Greuther Fürth) * Demond Greene, American-born former basketball player *

Elias Harris Elias Harris (born 6 July 1989) is a German professional basketball player for Bayern Munich of the Bundesliga (BBL) and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball at Gonzaga University and plays for the German national team. Junior career ...

, basketball player *

Jimmy Hartwig William "Jimmy" Hartwig (born 5 October 1954) is a German former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He played for Kickers Offenbach, TSV 1860 Munich, Hamburger SV, 1. FC Köln and FC Homburg of the Bundesliga and for ...

, retired football player *

Jermaine Jones Jermaine Junior Jones (born November 3, 1981) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a defensive midfielder. Born in Germany to an American father and German mother, he came up through the German club system and represe ...

, retired football player *

Chris Kaman Christopher Zane Kaman (born April 28, 1982) is a German-American former professional basketball player. Kaman stands 7'0" (2.13 m) and played the center position. He was selected sixth overall in the first round of the 2003 NBA draft by the Los ...

, retired basketball player *

Jerome Kiesewetter Jerome Julien Kiesewetter (born February 9, 1993) is a professional soccer player who plays as a forward for USL Championship side New Mexico United. Born in Germany, he represented the United States national team. Club career In May 2012, Ki ...

, football player * Donald Lutz, American-born retired baseball player *

Felix Magath Wolfgang Felix Magath (; born 26 July 1953) is a German football manager and former player. The most notable spell of his playing career was with Hamburger SV, with whom he won three Bundesliga titles, the 1977 European Cup Winners' Cup Final a ...

, manager and retired football player *

Alfredo Morales Alfredo Morales (born May 12, 1990) is a professional soccer player who plays as a defensive midfielder for New York City FC in Major League Soccer. Born in Germany, Morales represented the United States national team. Club career Morales t ...

, football player (

Fortuna Düsseldorf Düsseldorfer Turn- und Sportverein Fortuna 1895 e.V., commonly known as Fortuna Düsseldorf (), is a German football club in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, which competes in the 2. Bundesliga. Founded in 1895, Fortuna entered the league ...

) * Danny Williams, football player * Del-Angelo Williams, football player ( SV Elversberg) *

Andrew Wooten Andrew Wooten (born September 30, 1989) is an American professional footballer who plays as a forward for German club Preußen Münster. Club career 1. FC Kaiserslautern In 2009, Wooten signed with 1. FC Kaiserslautern II. He made his debut ...

, football player ( Philadelphia Union) *

David Yelldell David Yelldell (born October 1, 1981) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper and serves as an assistant coach for Sonnenhof Großaspach. Although he was born in Stuttgart, Germany, he was capped for the Unit ...

, retired football player *

José Holebas José Lloyd Cholevas ( el, Ιωσήφ Λόιντ Χολέβας; born 27 June 1984), known as José Holebas (Greek: Χοσέ Χολέμπας), is a footballer who last played as a left-back or a left midfielder for Hessenliga club Bayern Alz ...

, football player (

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...

) * Alex King *

Fabian Johnson Fabian Marco Johnson (born December 11, 1987) is a former professional soccer player who played as a full-back and wide midfielder. Born in Germany, he represented the United States national team, having also represented Germany in youth comp ...

Organizations of Americans in Germany

* Democrats Abroad Germany * American Culture Clubhttps://americancultureclub.org American Culture Club

References

{{Authority control

American emigration Ethnic groups in Germany German people of American descent Immigration to Germany