The list of early Germanic peoples is a register of ancient Germanic cultures, tribal groups, and other alliances of Germanic tribes and civilisations in ancient times. This information comes from various ancient historical documents, beginning in the 2nd century BC and extending into late antiquity. By the Early Middle Ages, early forms of kingship had begun to have a historical impact across Europe, with the exception of Northern Europe, where influences from the Vendel Period (from AD 550 to 800) and the subsequent Viking Age (until AD 1050) can be seen in the Germanic context. The associations and locations of the numerous peoples and groups in ancient sources are often subject to heavy uncertainty and speculation, and classifications of ethnicity regarding a common culture or a temporary alliance of heterogeneous groups are disputed. It is uncertain whether certain groups are Germanic in the broader linguistic sense or whether they consisted of speakers of a Germanic language. The names listed below are not terms for ethnic groups in any modern sense but the names of groups that were perceived in ancient and late antiquity as Germanic. It is essentially an inventory of peoples, groups, alliances and associations stretching from the Barbaricum region east of the Rhine to the north of the Danube (also known as Germania), especially those that arrived during the Migration Period.

In alphabetical order

The present list is largely based on the list of Germanic tribal names and its spelling variants contained in the first register of the Reallexikons der Germanischen Altertumskunde. The first column contains the English name and its variants, if one is common, otherwise the traditional ancient name. The second column contains ancient names of Latin and Greek authors, the latter both in transcription and in Greek. The third column gives a brief description followed by a location. The fifth column gives important sources of tradition for the group in question. The few main ancient sources for names and location of Germanic tribes are not linked. These are:

Ancestors

Possible ethnolinguistic kinship

Germanic dialects ca. AD 1.png dialect groups, and matching peoples, in Europe around the year 1 AD: North Germanic peoples: {{legend|blue|North Germanic – Norsemen: Suiones/Swedes, Geats/Scandinavian Goths, Gutes, Danes, Raumarici, Arothi, Adogit, others}} West Germanic peoples: {{legend|red|North Sea Germanic – Ingvaeonic peoples – Jutes, Angles, Saxons, Chauci, Frisians, others}} {{legend|orange|Weser–Rhine Germanic – Istvaeonic peoples: Franks, others}} {{legend|yellow|Elbe Germanic – Herminonic/Irminonic peoples: Suebes/Alemanni, Swabians, Hermunduri/Thuringians, Marcomanni, Quadi, Bavarians, others}} East Germanic peoples: {{legend|green|East Germanic – Vandilic peoples: Goths, Burgundians, Vandals, Gepids, Rugii, Buri, Herules, others}}]]

East Germanic peoples (Vandilians)

[Map 4: Gothic associated regions and archaeological cultures

{{legend|#0f0|Götaland}} {{legend|#f08|the island of Gotland}} {{legend|#f00|Wielbark culture in the early 3rd century}} {{legend|#f80|Chernyakhov culture, in the early 4th century}} {{legend|#80f|Roman Empire|undefined | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Chernyakhov.PNG]

North Germanic peoples (Norsemen)

West Germanic peoples

[Map 18: Salian settlement in Toxandria in 358 where Julian the Apostate made them dediticii {{legend|#F57778|Roman Empire}}{{legend|#D573F3|Salian Franks}}{{legend|#FFE29E|Germanic tribes east of the Rhine|undefined | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Frankish///Foederatus.png]

Germanic peoples or tribes of unknown ethnolinguistic kinship

Eight tribes or peoples are only mentioned by the Old Mainland Saxon wandering bard, of the Myrgingas tribe, named Widsith – Aenenes; Baningas; Deanas (they are differentiated from the Danes); Frumtingas; Herefaran; Hronas or Hronan; Mofdingas and Sycgas (not to be confused with Secgan, short name for the work in Old English called On the Resting-Places of the Saints about saints' resting places in England).

Ancient peoples with partially Germanic background

Germano-Celtic

Germano-Slavic

Ancient peoples of uncertain origin with possible Germanic or partially Germanic background

Mixed peoples that had some Germanic component

Celtic–Germanic–Iranian

Possible Germanic or non-Germanic peoples

Germanic or Slavic

Germanic or Celtic

Germanic or Dacian

Germanic or Iranian

Germanic or Balto-Finnic

Mythical founders

Many of the authors relating ethnic names of Germanic peoples speculated concerning their origin, from the earliest writers to approximately the Renaissance. One cross-cultural approach over this more than a millennium of historical speculation was to assign an eponymous ancestor of the same name as, or reconstructed from, the name of the people. For example, Hellen was the founder of the Hellenes. Although some Enlightenment historians continued to repeat these ancient stories as though fact, today they are recognised as manifestly mythological. There was, for example, no Franko, or Francio, ancestor of the Franks. The convergence of data from history, linguistics and archaeology have made this conclusion inevitable. A list of the mythical founders of Germanic peoples follows.