Did Adolf Hitler Have Children? A Complete Look at His Family and Alleged Descendants

The question “Did Hitler have children?” continues to intrigue guests on my WW2 and Third Reich walking tours of Berlin. Adolf Hitler himself left no confirmed heirs, but the story of his relatives, name changes, and alleged secret children has fueled debate for decades.

No Recognized Children of Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler married Eva Braun in the Führerbunker on 29 April 1945. The next day, both committed suicide. There is no verified record of any children from this relationship or from any other. Historians agree that Hitler died childless.

The Hitler Family Background

The Hitler family history is complex:

• Alois Schicklgruber, Adolf’s father, changed the family name to Hitler in 1877, a variation of earlier spellings like Hiedler and Hüttler.

• Hitler’s sister Paula (1896–1960) was the last direct relative to carry the Hitler surname. She never married or had children.

• As of 2025, only a handful of male descendants of the wider Hitler bloodline remain alive—and none have children.

Alois Hitler Jr. and His Berlin Café

Adolf Hitler’s older half-brother, Alois Hitler Jr., led a turbulent life that eventually brought him to the heart of Weimar Berlin. Born in Vienna in 1882, Alois drifted through petty crime, short prison terms, and failed business ventures before opening the “Konditorei Café Alois” at Wittenbergplatz 3 in 1937. The café quickly became a notorious meeting spot for SA members and Nazi sympathizers, making it an infamous footnote in the city’s nightlife. Despite sharing a father with Adolf, Alois Jr. had long been estranged from his half-brother and received no mention in Mein Kampf. After the war he quietly changed his surname to Alois Hiller and lived out his days in Hamburg. Today, the Wittenbergplatz address is a fascinating stop on my Weimar Berlin tour.

William Patrick Hitler: From Berlin to the U.S. Navy

Alois Jr.’s only child from his first marriage, William Patrick Hitler, was born in Liverpool in 1911 to Irish mother Bridget Dowling. As a young man he sought opportunities in Germany when Adolf Hitler gained power, even working briefly for Opel, but soon clashed with his infamous uncle—who derided him as a “loathsome nephew.” William left Germany and became a vocal critic, giving lectures and writing about his experiences before emigrating to the United States in 1939. During World War II he served honorably in the U.S. Navy’s Medical Corps, earning decorations such as the Purple Heart. After the war he changed his surname to Stuart-Houston, opened a medical laboratory on Long Island, and lived quietly until his death in 1987. William and his wife Phyllis had four sons, but none have children, effectively ending this branch of the Hitler bloodline.

Surviving Relatives: The Stuart-Houston Line

This means, a branch of the family still lives quietly in the United States:

• William Patrick “Willy” Hitler, Adolf’s half-nephew, emigrated to the U.S., served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, and later changed his surname to Stuart-Houston.

• William and his wife had four sons—Alexander, Louis, Howard, and Brian—but none of them have children.

• Authors such as David Gardner have suggested that the brothers informally agreed to end the Hitler bloodline, although at least one of them has denied any formal “pact.”

Other relatives, including Hitler’s half-nephews Heinz and Leo Raubal, either died young or left no descendants.

Alleged Children: Unproven Claims

Despite the lack of official heirs, two persistent rumors remain:

1. Jean-Marie Loret (1918–1985) – A Frenchman whose mother, Charlotte Lobjoie, claimed Hitler was the father after a World War I liaison. DNA testing has never confirmed the link, and leading historians doubt it.

2. Unity Mitford’s “secret baby” – A theory that the British socialite and Hitler confidante bore his child in England. No records substantiate the claim, and surviving Mitford family members dismissed it as rumor.

Both stories make compelling headlines but remain unverified.

What Happened to Hitler’s Other Relatives

• Several cousins and extended family members were arrested by Soviet forces after the war; some died in prison.

• Hitler’s sister Angela maintained contact with him during the Nazi era and received financial support but died in 1949.

• Other relatives, like half-nephew Heinz Hitler, perished during World War II.

  
  

Key Takeaways for Researchers

• Did Hitler have children? No confirmed biological children exist.

• Are there living relatives? Yes—distant relatives through his half-nephew’s line, but none with the Hitler surname or offspring of their own.

• Is the bloodline ending? With no next generation, the direct Hitler line is effectively set to disappear.