Boy · #10,889 in 2026

Germain

Germain is a name with a single cultural origin: French.

  • French
Current Rank
#10,889
Peak Rank
#1,865 (1981)
Total Babies
985
5-Yr Trend
Stable
1961
First Year
1980
Last Year
1966
Peak Year
#5273
Peak Rank
42
Total Count
8
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Germain

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Germain is a name with a single cultural origin: French.

Origin data from Behind the Name .

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • French

The Story of Germain

Germain first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1913, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1981: 30 births, good for #1,865 nationwide. About 20% of every Germain on record arrived during the 1980s, its defining decade. Germain last appeared in the published SSA data in 2024, with 6 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 985 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1910s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Names that sound like Germain

Phonetically similar names — useful when Germain is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Germain

What does the name Germain mean?
Germain is a name with a single cultural origin: French.
What is the origin of the name Germain?
Germain has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: French.
How popular is Germain in 2026?
In 2026, Germain ranks #10,889 among boys' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.
When was Germain most popular?
Germain reached its peak popularity in 1981, ranking #1,865 that year with 30 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Germain most popular?
Germain has historically been most popular in Minnesota, New York, California. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Germain.
Is Germain a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Germain is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.
What names go well with Germain?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Germain include Leandrew, Darriel, Clif. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Germain

Germain is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1913 and has accumulated 985 births in the dataset. Germain's peak popularity came in 1981 when it ranked #1,865. Use the chart and map above to compare Germain's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.