Herman
Boy nameHerman has been given to 136,772 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1921.
Meaning & origin /ˈhɜːmən/
From Old English here (“army”) + man (“man”) It was revived in the 19th century, partly due to American immigrants from continental Europe where the name has been more popular. Compare the German equivalent Hermann.
Origin: Germanic languages
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
136,772
Peak year
1921 (3,239 babies)
Rank in 2025
Below top 1000
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▼ -36%
Gender split
1% girls / 99% boys
Famous people named Herman
Herman Melville
American writer and poet (1819–1891)
Herman Van Rompuy
Prime Minister of Belgium and President of the European Council (born 1947)
Herman Hollerith
American statistician and inventor（1860-1929）
Herman Boerhaave
Dutch botanist, chemist, humanist, and physician (1668–1738)
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Herman.
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