What does AG mean in German Companies?

Does it mean Allied Germany?

I ask because it appears in modern German companies and SR German companies. I just wanted to know? Thanks!

AktienGesellschaft, "stock corporation" in english.

And just to add the others:

AG = Aktien Gesellschaft (In germany you can be an AG and not be traded at a stock exchange) Requested to publish a yearly report

GmbH = Gemeinschaft mit Beschränkter Haftung. Equivalent to the "Limited Liability in US law. If you go broke, you only answer up to a certain amount of money (minimum IIRC 25000 Euro) Quite common for start-ups

KG = Kommandit Gesellschaft. At least two owners. One is liabel with all he owns (Komplementär) and the other up to a certain sum (Komanditist). The second has no say (he's a "silent partner")

GmbH&Co KG = Mixture of the two systems. Nobody is fully responsibel

Kaufmann, Kaufleute = Trader, Traders, Classical priate ownership. If you go broke, you loose everything

OHG = Offene Handelsgesellschaft (Open Trading Organisation) = A group of owners that are in with everything they own as well as with the money they put into the "pool"

GbR = Gesellschaft bürgerlichen Rechts (Organisation of civil law) General version of the OHG. The difference is mainly in the way one is founded


Birdy

That's extremely helpful. Thanks to both of you ... and Norseman for asking in the first place.

Isn't there one that roughly translates to fellowship, association of interests or something like that? I could have sworn it was something like IG or similar.

IG is the acronym for "Industrie Gewerkschaft" and means industrial (labor) union.

There are of course different branches like the IG Metall representing employees and laborers in any metal processing business or IG Druck und Papier for employees and laborers in any job that is related to print media (from production of paper to publishing a magazine)

A fellowship or association of interrests would be what Birdy mentioned as GbR

Just to add an odd bit to that:

The 'Kaufmann' in the post above is a slightly old-fashioned term but still used in the language.
In German media speak it has come to denote a person who made his/her big money from illegal (not proven) or quasi-legal means like prostitution. Generally a shady character who is well-established in the business world but everybody knows of the beginnings.

I am native to Germany, and there is no shady connotation to "Kaufmann", a shady businessman would be called a "Geschäftemacher", or perhaps a "Geschäftsmann" in that special tone reserved for politicians otherwise. Someone involved in prostitution might be called "Lude" (pimp), "Kiezkönig" (boss), "Bordellbesitzer", "Nacktbar-" or "Nachtclubbetreiber."

The acronym FlakJacket was looking for is IG, as in "IG Farben", and means Interessengemeinschaft. (interest group, cartel, lobby) The IG Farben was the prototypical con, which profited from the second world war on both sides (delivering bomber fuel for both the german and allied forces), using workers from KZs, in some cases (Auschwitz III) controlling the KZ. The IG Farben was the highest contributor to NSDAP election coffers. They manufactured the Zyklon B used to gas Jews.

As always, after the war, the leading officials got away with minor penalties, sometimes only with a tarnished reputation. The IG Farben changed form, face and name and lived on in BAYER, BASF, HOECHST and others. The dried out husk of the IG went bankrupt ca. 1990.

Old fashioned way to dis a Kaufmann is Pfeffersack (lit: Sack of Pepper) refering to one who get's rich on the spice trade. Or the good old fashioned "Bonze" (also refering to wealth people/upper class with an attitude)

Kaufmann in germany is a lot of official german job titels. Official in german means that a chamber of commerce and industrie [IHK - Industrie und Handelskammer] and/or the state has written down a concept what one capable of performing this job must be able to do and what he must/should learn during his apprenticeship. Also how long the apprenticeship must be and what tests to pass at the end. We use the title for persons that you meet behind the counter of a bank, in an Im/Export Companie or one running his private little shop, or...

A Diplom-Kaufmann is a german MBA. Now depending on how you think about MBA's...[1]


Birdy


[1] MBA's are useful. Without them, there would be far fewer female students. At least far fewer that can be easily identified as female