# Hauptmann

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This article is about the military rank and title. For other uses, see [Hauptmann (disambiguation)](/source/Hauptmann_(disambiguation)).

***Hauptmann*** (ˈhaʊ̯pman) is an [officer](/source/Officer_(armed_forces)) rank in the armies of [Germany](/source/German_Army), [Austria](/source/Austrian_Federal_Army), and [Switzerland](/source/Swiss_Armed_Forces). It is usually translated as *captain*.

## Background

While *Haupt* in contemporary German means 'main', it also has, and originally had, the meaning of 'head', i.e. **Hauptmann** literally translates to 'head-man', which is also the etymological root of *captain* (from [Latin](/source/Latin) *caput*, 'head').

This rank is equivalent to the rank of captain in the [British](/source/British_Army) and [US Armies](/source/United_States_Army), and is rated [OF-2](/source/Ranks_and_insignia_of_NATO_armies_officers) in [NATO](/source/NATO).

- (For the German maritime counterpart to captain, see [Kapitän](/source/Kapit%C3%A4n).)

Currently, there is no female form within the German military (such as *Hauptfrau*): the correct form of address is "*Frau Hauptmann*."[2][3]

More generally, a Hauptmann can be the head of any hierarchically structured group of people, often as a compound word. For example, a *Feuerwehrhauptmann* is the captain of a fire brigade[citation needed][dubious – discuss], while *Räuberhauptmann* refers to the leader of a gang of robbers.

Official Austrian and German titles incorporating the word include *[Landeshauptmann](/source/Landeshauptmann)*, *[Bezirkshauptmann](/source/Bezirkshauptmann)*, *[Burghauptmann](/source/Burghauptmann)*, and *[Berghauptmann](/source/Berghauptmann)*.

In [Saxony](/source/Saxony) during the [Weimar Republic](/source/Weimar_Republic), the titles of *[Kreishauptmann](/source/Kreishauptmann)*, and *[Amtshauptmann](/source/Amtshauptmann)* were held by senior civil servants.

*Hauptmann* (from [Early Modern High German](/source/Early_Modern_High_German) *Heubtmann*) is cognate with the Swedish *[hövitsman](/source/H%C3%B6vitsman)*, which also has the root meaning 'head-man' or 'the man at the head', and is closely related to *hövding*, meaning '[chieftain](/source/Chieftain)'. Since medieval times, both titles have been used for state administrators rather than military personnel. *Heubtmann* may also be the origin of the title [hetman](/source/Hetman), used in Central and Eastern Europe.

## Military ranks

### Austria

Main article: [Military ranks of Austria](/source/Military_ranks_of_Austria)

### Germany

Main article: [Rank insignia of the German Bundeswehr](/source/Rank_insignia_of_the_German_Bundeswehr)

#### Rank insignia

On the shoulder straps (Heer, Luftwaffe) there are three silver pips (stars).

Heer Luftwaffe

### Switzerland

Main article: [Military ranks of Switzerland](/source/Military_ranks_of_Switzerland)

## See also

- [World War II German Army ranks and insignia](/source/World_War_II_German_Army_ranks_and_insignia)
- [Ranks of the German Bundeswehr](/source/Ranks_of_the_German_Bundeswehr)
- [Rank insignia of the German Bundeswehr](/source/Rank_insignia_of_the_German_Bundeswehr)

## References

1. ["Rank Insignias"](https://www.bundesheer.at/en/rank-insignias). *bundesheer.at*. Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 4 November 2023.

1. ["VSB-Statement "weibliche Dienstgrade""](https://web.archive.org/web/20210805201526/https://vsb-bund.de/index.php/infothek/item/748-weibldstgrd). *Verband der Soldaten der Bundeswehr*. Archived from [the original](https://vsb-bund.de/index.php/infothek/item/748-weibldstgrd) on August 5, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.

1. Hegmann, Gerhard (March 8, 2019). ["Wird "Frau Hauptmann" zur "Hauptmännin" oder "Hauptfrau"?"](https://www.welt.de/wirtschaft/article189989647/Genderdebatte-Wann-gibt-s-die-Hauptfrau-bei-der-Bundeswehr.html). *[Die Welt](/source/Die_Welt)*. Retrieved February 12, 2021.

## External links

- [Deutsches Wörterbuch, Hauptmann](http://germa83.uni-trier.de/cgi-bin/DWBcgi/getDWBArticle.tcl?hauptmann+100+1+960)[dead link]

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Hauptmann](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hauptmann) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hauptmann?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.