Herman
Herman was the 2368th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 58 babies. Its best year was 1886, when it ranked 44th; the most babies were born in 1921 (3,219). Over the last ten years it has moved down 660 places. More babies were named Herman in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning army man, warrior · Germanic, German
Say it HUR-mun /ˈhɝmən/
- Rank in 2025
- #2,368 boys, up 7 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 58boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19213,219 babies
- Total since 1880
- 136,772babies recorded
What does the name Herman mean?
Herman is a Germanic name from here, heri 'army, host' and mann 'man', so 'warrior', as DMNES and Wiktionary note. It was borne by several 11th- and 12th-century saints. Wiktionary notes that it was revived in the 19th century, partly through immigrants from continental Europe, where German Hermann was more common; novelist Herman Melville is a famous bearer.
heri (Old High German, “army”)mann (Old High German, “man”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Hermann, Armand, Armando.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean warrior.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Herman', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Herman', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Nicknames for Herman
The usual nicknames for Herman are Herm.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herm | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Hermans go by each one.
Herman popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 795 since 1891.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,368 | 58 |
| 2020 | #2,375 | 56 |
| 2010 | #1,888 | 76 |
| 2000 | #1,092 | 129 |
| 1990 | #636 | 252 |
| 1980 | #428 | 367 |
| 1970 | #317 | 616 |
| 1960 | #246 | 1,050 |
| 1950 | #159 | 1,564 |
| 1940 | #113 | 1,670 |
| 1930 | #78 | 2,598 |
| 1920 | #66 | 3,109 |
| 1910 | #52 | 696 |
| 1900 | #49 | 550 |
| 1890 | #50 | 382 |
| 1880 | #48 | 347 |
How popular is Herman, counting every spelling?
Herman is the most common spelling of a name family that had 58 boys in 2025 across its spellings. Together these spellings went to 58 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herman | 58 | #2,368 | 265 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Herman?
58 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Herman (0.02 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Herman born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 144 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Herman.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Herman?
About 36,700 people born in the US named Herman are alive today, with a median age of 67; half are between 52 and 77. That makes Herman a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Herman by state
How common Herman was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New York (2.6×). In 45 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Herman: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Herman, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Herman · Sibling names for Herman
Questions about the name Herman
What does Herman mean?
Herman means “army man, warrior” (Germanic, German origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Herman?
Herman was the 2368th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 58 babies. Its best year was 1886, when it ranked 44th; the most babies were born in 1921 (3,219). Over the last ten years it has moved down 660 places. More babies were named Herman in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Herman a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Herman in the US.
Where is Herman most popular?
In 2021–2025, Herman was most common in New York (0.08 per 1,000 boys), followed by Massachusetts and Missouri.