Why is Hertha called Hertha? A club named after a steamboat

The Corner · 27 October 2026

Hertha was a boat. The Berlin club took its name from the blue and white steamboat Hertha, which carried passengers on the Spree and Havel rivers, and took the boat's colours along with it. The name itself goes back to Nerthus, a fertility goddess from Germanic mythology. From a river steamer came a club that has been German champion twice.

Four friends and a boat trip

Hertha was founded in July 1892 by two pairs of brothers, Fritz and Max Lindner and Otto and Willi Lorenz. The name was Fritz Lindner's idea: shortly before, he had sailed on the Hertha along the Havel with his father. The founders were only 16 and 17, so the Lindners' uncle, Ernst Wisch, became chairman. The club started life as BFC Hertha 92.

Where the blue and white comes from

The steamboat Hertha had a blue and white funnel, and the club adopted those colours together with the name. That is why Hertha have played in blue and white from the start, with a blue and white flag in the crest. In 1923 the club merged with Berliner Sport-Club and has been Hertha BSC ever since. It won the German championship in 1930 and again in 1931, beating TSV 1860 Munich 3-2 in the second final.

Away in red and black: the 2019/20 Nike shirt

Away from home Hertha can drop the blue altogether. Our 2019/20 Nike away shirt is split into red and black halves, with sponsor TEDi's yellow and blue circle across the chest. The swoosh sits on the red side, the flag crest on the black side, and Hyundai is on the sleeve.

It was a restless season in Berlin, with four different coaches, from Ante Čović through Jürgen Klinsmann to Bruno Labbadia, and a tenth-place finish. In the winter Krzysztof Piątek arrived from AC Milan. For another German club whose name did not come from its city, read What does BVB stand for? Borussia Dortmund's name explained.

From our rail

• Hertha BSC 2019/20 away shirt by Nike: red and black, TEDi, the season Piątek joined.

Browse the Hertha BSC shirts category and the rest of Germany under Bundesliga.

FAQ

Why is Hertha called Hertha?

The club is named after a steamboat called Hertha that sailed the Spree and Havel. The name itself traces back to the Germanic goddess Nerthus.

Why do Hertha play in blue and white?

The steamboat had a blue and white funnel, and the club took its colours along with its name in 1892.

What does BSC stand for in Hertha BSC?

Berliner Sport-Club. Hertha merged with it in 1923 and has carried the name Hertha BSC since.

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