Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Herman

Herman developed from an Old Germanic name Hariman, from the elements “hari” meaning “army” and “man” meaning “man”. Interestingly, in Olde English the equivalent of “hari” was “here”, which more or less meant “crowd of people” and was used to describe the Viking invaders. It was the Norman-French who would introduce the masculine personal name Herman to the English after the Conquest of 1066. It was used with some regularity in the Middle Ages but eventually vanished before being revived again in the 19th century. Not surprisingly, names derived from the Old Germanic and Norse languages were created from warlike elements such as “spear”, “brave”, “warrior” and “army”. These were meandering tribes who were constantly defending their territories or invading new ones. Many such ancient names have survived for ages, such as Herman. In France, they use Armand (ar-MAWN) while the Italians, Portuguese and Spanish say Armando (the Medieval Latin word for “armed forces” was “armata”). See the connection? While Armand and Armando remain in circulation, Herman is rarely used today among English-speakers. It is, however, a popular name in Norway.

All About the Baby Name – Herman

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME HERMAN

The number Five personality loves the excitement of life and can easily adapt to all situations. As natural adventurers, these personalities thrive on the new and unexpected and prefer to be in constant motion. It makes them feel alive. They'll stir up some action if there's not enough around, and as inherent risk-takers they enjoy pushing the envelope. Naturally rebellious, the Five personality has no fear and never resists change.  Traveling and new experiences feed their souls. Fives are very social and attract friends with ease. People love to be around the Five fun-loving and exciting energy.  This is also a lucky number in numerology (like the Threes), so fortune seems to shine on them, helped along by their own optimism and good-nature. Fives have a quick wit, a cerebral mind, and are generally very persuasive. 

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME HERMAN

Herman was once a highly fashionable baby boy’s name in America. However, the same cannot be said today. We know this name dates back to at least the early 19th century as evidenced by Herman Melville (1819-1891), author of the American classic “Moby-Dick”. By the end of the 19th century, Herman was a Top 50 name choice nationwide. In fact, it wasn’t until 1936 that old Herman would finally fall off America’s Top 100 list. From that point on, the name would slowly drop in popularity as the 20th century wore on. By the 1990s, Herman became ultra-passé as the name took a nosedive in usage. The very last year of the century (i.e., 1999) marks the last time Herman could claim Top 1000 status in the country. In other words, the 21st century has definitely not welcomed Herman to its panoply of names. Out-dated, old-manish and clearly out of style, American parents are now turning to Armando instead.

Quick Facts

ON HERMAN

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

N/A

PRONUNCIATION:

HUR-mәn

SIMPLE MEANING:

Army man

Characteristics

OF HERMAN

Freedom-loving

Adventurous

Adaptable

Intellectual

Easygoing

Progressive

Sensual

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Herman

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME HERMAN

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Herman

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME HERMAN

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Herman


Popular Songs

ON HERMAN

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Herman


Famous People

NAMED HERMAN

Herman Melville (American author)
Herman Wouk (American author)
Hermann Hesse (German/Swiss author)
Hermann Göring (notorious member of the Nazi Party)

Children of Famous People

NAMED HERMAN

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Herman

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME HERMAN

Herman Melville was the writer of one of the most renowned of classic American novels: Moby-Dick, published in 1851. He wrote several other books and collections of poetry, including Typee, Omoo and Billy Budd, but it is largely upon the story of the great whale that his estimable reputation rests. Ironically, Herman Melville, while initially a popular novelist, fell out of favor with the public by the 1850s, and it was not until the 1920s that his works were revived and re-appreciated. Melville struggled with financial issues for most of his life – for instance, his entire earnings from Moby-Dick amounted to a little over $500. He also was never really settled in his mind as to whether or not there was an afterlife, but if there is one, and he’s in it, he must be dancing a jig!