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Herman Name Meaning, Origins & History

Herman

Pronunciation: HUR-mun

Meaning Army man Origin Germanic Gender Boy
BOYS RANK
#2,368
TREND
273
Peak Years
1921, 1920, 1916
Lowest Years
2021, 2024, 2022
Energy Archetype
Ambitious & Self-Sufficient

Rank shows the name’s position among U.S. baby names for each gender in 2025. Trend shows how many places it rose or fell since 2024. Rank 1 is the most popular. Based on U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) data. Peak and lowest years are based on the number of boys named Herman in the available records.

Fun Facts About the Name Herman

  • Decades of popularity: Herman stayed in the U.S. top 100 for 55 consecutive years, from 1880 through 1934.
  • More than 136 thousand babies named Herman: U.S. records list 136,767 babies given the name Herman from 1880 through 2025. Even 795 girls received the name Herman - about 1 girl for every 171 boys.

What Does the Name Herman Mean?

Herman is a masculine name of Germanic origin, the English and Dutch form of German Hermann. It comes from the Old High German personal name Heriman, also found as Hariman, built from heri, meaning "army," and man, meaning "man." The literal sense is "army man," and the customary translation is "soldier." Early Germanic naming often joined two such descriptive elements, and this one describes a warrior rather than a spiritual figure.

Despite the surface resemblance, Herman is not related to the Greek name Hermes or to the English word hermit, which comes from a Greek word for a desert or solitary place. The French form Armand, and through it the Italian and Spanish Armando, are Romance developments of the same Germanic source.

Herman Name History & Origins

The two-part Germanic name type behind Herman, an "army" element joined to a "man" element, was widely used among the Franks, Saxons, and other early Germanic peoples. Medieval German and Dutch records show forms such as Heriman and Hariman. Bearers include Saint Herman of Constantinople, patriarch from 715 until his death in 740, who defended the veneration of icons during the first period of Byzantine iconoclasm, and Hermannus Contractus, also called Herman of Reichenau (1013 - 1054), a monk, historian, and composer at the German abbey of Reichenau.

In England, Herman (died 1078) held the sees of Ramsbury and Sherborne and became the first bishop of Salisbury when that see was moved to Old Sarum in the 1070s. In German-speaking lands the name stayed in use through the Middle Ages and the modern period, and it also became established in the Netherlands and Scandinavia.

In the 16th century, German humanists, among them Ulrich von Hutten and later Martin Luther, applied the name Hermann to Arminius, the Cheruscan leader whose forces destroyed three Roman legions in the Teutoburg Forest in 9 CE. Arminius's own Germanic name is not recorded, and whether it is related to Hermann is uncertain; the pairing was a humanist convention rather than evidence that the name was used in his lifetime.

Herman was carried to North America by German and Dutch immigrants and was a familiar given name in the United States in the 19th and early 20th centuries, borne by the novelist Herman Melville (1819 - 1891). In the Orthodox tradition, Saint Herman of Alaska (1756 - 1837), a Russian monk who led a mission to the Kodiak Islands, was canonized in 1970, and the name is used by Orthodox Christians in North America in his honor.

How Popular is the Name Herman?

Herman remained among the top 100 boy names in the U.S. from 1880 to 1934. Its highest annual birth count was in 1921, and people born that year turn 105 in 2026.

U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.

Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.

Explore Name Lists Featuring Herman

Carl appears in several baby name collections based on U.S. popularity records, naming trends, and name characteristics. Explore these lists to discover other names with similar histories, styles, or features.

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How the Name Herman Shapes Your Personality and Life?

You attract success and money. You are a lover of nature and do not need others for your happiness. You are self sufficient. You strive for material success and power and have business sense. You possess strong organizational abilities, can be a good manager, and executive by nature. You are capable of great achievement in business and finance. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.

You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.

✦ Herman's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Herman's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.
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