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]

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 Germanic languages). It regained popularity in the Anglosphere in the 19th century, particularly in the United States.[2]

Herman remains widely used in Dutch. Variant forms include German Hermann, French Armand, Italian and Iberian Armando.[2]

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

The name of Arminius, the 1st-century leader of the Cherusci, became identified with the name Hermann in German historiography in the early modern period; thus, Arminius is traditionally known as Hermann der Cheruskerfürst in German. The name of Arminius is in fact from a stem ermen- "strong". Conflation of this element with the name Herman may indeed date to the medieval period, via variant forms such as Ermin, Ermen, Erman, feminine Ermina, Ermana, Hirmina, Hermena.[3]

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