# Why is she popularly known as Eva Braun and not Eva Hitler **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 2, 2021, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-she-popularly-known-as-eva-braun-and-not-eva-hitler/943394 "2021-06-02T04:33:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2021, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-she-popularly-known-as-eva-braun-and-not-eva-hitler/943394/21 "2021-06-02T23:42:06Z")
I’m assuming you’re talking about Hermann Fegelein? That doesn’t seem analogous to the situation speculated on in this thread–in which Braun might have chosen to try leave Germany months prior to the end when she was not in Berlin. Fegelein was actually in Berlin until 2 days before Hitler’s own suicide, when it was essentially in the final stages of being conquered by the Soviets, with Soviet troops inside the city itself. I don’t know that many people were escaping at that point. ---
**Author:** ![Bootb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@Bootb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootb)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2021, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-she-popularly-known-as-eva-braun-and-not-eva-hitler/943394/22 "2021-06-03T02:02:51Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Well, in the US a marriage isn’t fully recognized until a marriage certificate is issued. Unless it’s a common-law marriage. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2021, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-she-popularly-known-as-eva-braun-and-not-eva-hitler/943394/23 "2021-06-03T03:03:20Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > as a prominent person in Nazi Germany she would have been able to move around in ways most could not, Really? Outside of Hitler’s inner social circle did anybody in the public consider her a person of any particular importance? ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2021, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-she-popularly-known-as-eva-braun-and-not-eva-hitler/943394/24 "2021-06-03T03:05:55Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Really? Outside of Hitler’s inner social circle did anybody in the public consider her a person of any particular importance? They did if they knew what was good for them? ---
**Author:** ![UDS1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47774/32.png) [@UDS1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS1)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2021, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-she-popularly-known-as-eva-braun-and-not-eva-hitler/943394/25 "2021-06-03T03:07:25Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Really? Outside of Hitler’s inner social circle did anybody in the public consider her a person of any particular importance? The great bulk of people did not know of her existence. Why would they? ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2021, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-she-popularly-known-as-eva-braun-and-not-eva-hitler/943394/26 "2021-06-03T13:28:53Z")
She would have had paperwork that probably made her essentially untouchable for any sort of functionary in Nazi Germany. She spent a lot of her time based out of the Berghof, which was Hitler’s most favored personal residence–the Eagle’s Nest which was in the same area, and somewhat more famous among many WW2 buffs was not enjoyable for Hitler to spend time in, he hated the heights and mostly only used it for specific purposes entertaining. She was also very well known by the most powerful men in Nazi Germany, she spent extensive time in dinners and entertaining at the Berghof with Martin Bormann, Albert Speer and Joseph Goebbels and their families. Hitler moved permanently into the berlin Fuhrerbunker in January of 1945, and by April of course had stopped going to the surface at all. Braun on the other hand was spending time in Munich for the first few months of 1945, and reportedly high ranking Nazis had even discussed with her how she might safely flee the country if it was to collapse. There is actually no evidence Hitler would have opposed any of this, and in fact some evidence that Hitler at least earlier in 1945 intended for Braun to be able to escape Germany if it fell. As best we know Braun herself deliberately pushed back on the idea of her being sent away to escape, and specifically is said to have stated that she would “not allow him to die alone”, and more or less she moved into the bunker with him at the end entirely because she intended to die there. I don’t get much of a feeling she was a “kept woman” who was anything but a willing participant in the final events of her life in 1945. What we do know is Braun always appeared to have full “freedom of movement”, spent much time visiting friends etc. I would not be surprised if she even had Nazi bodyguards or aides of some sort with standing orders to do whatever she asked (but I’ve never read that this is the case, it just wouldn’t surprise me.) We also know in 1945 she was mostly in the Munich area or at the Bergdof home, both of which were tucked away into the last areas likely to fall as the Nazi empire collapsed (Southeastern Germany/Austria.) All indications to me are she could have fairly easily simply crossed into Switzerland and that she would have been if anything encouraged by HItler to do so if that was her choice. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2021, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-she-popularly-known-as-eva-braun-and-not-eva-hitler/943394/27 "2021-06-03T19:54:53Z")
She was Eva Braun a lot longer than she was Eva Hitler. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2021, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-she-popularly-known-as-eva-braun-and-not-eva-hitler/943394/28 "2021-06-04T13:02:23Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > > [@TriPolar](#): > > > > Wasn’t there a musical about that? > > Well, it was April, so it WAS springtime for Hitler, and Eva, (and Germany). And they _did_ get to have a merry romp at Berchtesgaden. ---
**Author:** ![kurtisokc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kurtisokc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kurtisokc)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2021, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-she-popularly-known-as-eva-braun-and-not-eva-hitler/943394/29 "2021-06-04T19:46:57Z")
I don’t know about 1945, but today I would say Eva Braun is much better known than her brother-in-law. Fegelein is known mostly as an internet meme. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-she-popularly-known-as-eva-braun-and-not-eva-hitler/943394/30 "2021-06-05T21:35:42Z")
> [@Schnitte](#): > > To my knowledge, the wedding between Hitler and Braun was, in fact, performed by a “Standesbeamter” who was brought into the Führerbunker for precisely this purpose. Yes, and the registrar complied with the law to the point where he asked der Führer for his ID card and to swear he was of pure Aryan decent. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-she-popularly-known-as-eva-braun-and-not-eva-hitler/943394/31 "2021-06-06T08:57:09Z")
Talk about German adherence to rules. A similar story is that as late as 1934, well after the Enabling Act, Hitler was having some trouble with the German equivalent to the IRS because he had not properly declared his income from the royalties to _Mein Kampf_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-she-popularly-known-as-eva-braun-and-not-eva-hitler/943394.md?page=1)