Herman
Herman is a masculine given name, from an ancient Germanic name consisting of the elements harja- "army" and mann- "man". Hermine is the feminine form of Herman. It is first recorded in the 8th century, in the forms Hariman, Heriman, Hairman, Herman.
- English
- Dutch
- Swedish
- Norwegian
Meaning & Origin of Herman
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Herman is a masculine given name, from an ancient Germanic name consisting of the elements harja- "army" and mann- "man". Hermine is the feminine form of Herman. It is first recorded in the 8th century, in the forms Hariman, Heriman, Hairman, Herman.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
- Dutch
- Swedish
- Norwegian
- Danish
- Finnish
- Slovene
- Germanic
- Czech
The Story of Herman
The earliest SSA record of Herman as a baby boy name dates back to 1880, when 347 babies received it. 1921 was its biggest year on record, with 3,219 newborns named Herman — #64 in the national rankings. About 21% of every Herman on record arrived during the 1920s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Herman ranks #2,545 for baby boys with 53 births, gradually falling (-9%). All told, over 136K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Herman
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Herman. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Hariman
- Harm
- Harmen
- Hermanni
- Hermannus
- Hermanus
Names that sound like Herman
Phonetically similar names — useful when Herman 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 Herman
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About the name Herman
Herman is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 136K births in the dataset. Herman's peak popularity came in 1921 when it ranked #44. Use the chart and map above to compare Herman's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1921 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- Names starting with "H" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.