Herman (name)

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Herman is masculine given name, from a Germanic name consisting of the elements harja- "army" and mann- "man". It is first recorded in the 8th century, in the forms Hariman, Heriman, Hairman, Herman.[1]

It has also been associated with the older Germanic name Armin, Ermen (Arminius, a leader Cherusci in the 1st century; Ermanaric, the name of a 4th-century Gothic king of the Amali dynasty). For this reason, Arminius in German historiography is traditionally known as Hermann der Cheruskerfürst.This name element is from an irmin "strong", perhaps containing a theonym Irmin (c.f. Herminones). Conflation with the name Herman may date to the medieval period, via variant forms such as Ermin, Ermen, Erman, feminine Ermina, Ermana, Hirmina, Hermena.[2]

The given name was taken to England by the Normans, but it became obsolescent as an English given name in the later Middle Ages (while remaining common in German). It regained popularity in the Anglosphere in the 19th century, particularly in the United States.[3]

Variant forms include German Hermann, French Armand, Italian and Iberian Armando.[3]

Herman has also been in use as a German surname since the 16th century.

Middle Ages

Early Modern

Modern

The name Herman was popular in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th century, consistently ranking between 55 and 44 throughout the 1880–1914 period. Beginning with World War I, the name's popularity entered a steady decline for the remainder of the 20th century, falling below rank 1,000 in the year 2000.[4]

Fictional characters

As a surname

Further information: Harman (surname)

Variants Herrmann, Herrman, Herman, Hermann, Hermanns

Early modern

Modern

see also:

Fictional characters

See also

References

  1. ↑ E. Förstemann, Altdeutsches Namenbuch (1856:627).
  2. ↑ E. Förstemann, Altdeutsches Namenbuch (1856:792f.)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Katie Martin-Doyle, The Treasury of Baby Names, Worth Press, Cambridge 2005. ISBN 978-1903025116
  4. ↑ behindthename.com