Herman - Meaning of Herman

What does Herman mean?

Pronounce
Herman

[ 2 syll. her-man, he-rm-an ] The baby boy name Herman is pronounced as HHAHR-MahN (English) or HHEHR-MaaN (Dutch) †. Herman is used chiefly in the English language and its origin is Germanic. The name's meaning is army man. A two-element name, it is derived from the elements 'heri' meaning army, warrior ; 'man'. Arminius (Latin) is an old form of Herman. The name was introduced by the Normans to England. It was very popular in the Middle Ages, due to the fame of Arminius (also Armin, 18/17BC-21AD) the ancient Cheruscan commander who ambushed and defeated the Roman army in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. It was also borne by Saint Herman of Alaska (1756/1760-1837), a Russian missionary to Alaska and the patron saint of the Americas. The name saw a rise in popularity during 19th-century German nationalism, which emphasized military prowess. It also enjoyed a modest revival in England and the USA then, via the influence of German immigrants. The name Armanda (Italian and Spanish) and the name Hermine (French and German) are the female forms of Herman.

The name Herman is widely used; it has 50 variants that are used in English and other languages. Variants used in English include Arman (used in Russian and Spanish as well), Armand (used in French and German as well), Armin (used in German and Spanish as well), Armindo, Armon (used in Spanish as well), Armond (used in Spanish as well), Harman, Harmon, Heremon, Herm, Hermaan, Hermano, Hermea, Hermee, Hermen, Hermey, Hermi, Hermie, Hermin, Herminio, Hermino, Hermon, Hermun, Hermy, Hermyn, Heromin, and Ormond.

Foreign variants of Herman include Arek (Polish), Armande (Spanish), Armando (Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish), Armands (Latvian), Armen (Russian), Armino (Italian), Armonde (Spanish), Armondo (Spanish), Ermanno (Italian), Ermano (Italian and Spanish), Erminio (Italian), German (Russian), Harmen (Frisian), Haro (Frisian), Harro (Frisian), Hermann (German and Scandinavian), Hermanni (Finnish), Hermanus (Dutch), Hermán (Germanic), Mandek (Polish), Mando (Spanish), and Mannes (Dutch). Another foreign variant is the contraction Harm (Dutch).

See also the related form, Armani (English).

See also the related categories, army (warrior), commander (king), forest (wood), english, latin, normans, revival, battle (war), missionary, man (humanity), modest, russian, roman, ancient, and germanic (german).

Herman is a rare baby name for boys. At the peak of its usage in 1912, 0.364% of baby boys were given the name Herman. It ranked at #50 then. The baby name has since steeply declined in popularity, and is today of very modest use. In 2018, out of the group of boy names directly linked to Herman, Armani was the most regularly used.

Baby names that sound like Herman include Haream, Harean, Hareane, Hareem, Hareim, Hariem, Harin, Hariram, Harman, Harmen, Harmon, Harmonn, Haroun, Harun, Harunee, Haruney, Haruny, Harwenn, Harwenne, and Harwin.

† Pronunciation for Herman: HH as in "he (HH.IY)" ; AH as in "mud (M.AH.D)" ; R as in "race (R.EY.S)" ; M as in "me (M.IY)" ; N as in "knee (N.IY)" ; EH as in "ebb (EH.B)" ; AA as in "odd (AA.D)"

Details of famous persons named Herman:
Author Herman Melville, born 1 August 1819 - 28 September 1891, New York, New York.
Author Herman Wouk, born May 27, 1915, New York City, New York.