Herman
From a Germanic name joining heri, meaning army, with man, so roughly man of arms. Dutch and German immigrants brought it to the United States.
Herman in 2025
Herman was given to 58 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 5,105th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 57,161 babies born.
The history of Herman
Herman reached its highest point in 1921, when 3,239 babies were given the name, ranking 154th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 118th, in 1880.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 136,772 babies have been named Herman. Half of them were born before 1931, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Silent Generation.
Herman by decade
| Decade | Babies named Herman | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 3,689 | 118 |
| 1890s | 4,252 | 149 |
| 1900s | 5,081 | 166 |
| 1910s | 22,716 | 120 |
| 1920s | 29,205 | 154 |
| 1930s | 20,459 | 177 |
| 1940s | 16,957 | 258 |
| 1950s | 13,919 | 339 |
| 1960s | 8,432 | 521 |
| 1970s | 4,801 | 693 |
| 1980s | 3,130 | 933 |
| 1990s | 1,957 | 1,364 |
| 2000s | 1,103 | 2,486 |
| 2010s | 750 | 3,764 |
| 2020s | 321 | 5,003 |
Where Herman is heading
Herman has fallen 36% over the past decade, from 91 babies in 2015 to 58 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1921 peak — Herman is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Herman
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Herman.