Herman
Herman was given to 58 boys in 2025, #2,368 among boys’ names; 136,772 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 37,000 Americans named Herman and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (27% of everyone recorded); the median is 67 years old and half are between 52 and 77.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Herman by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Herman mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Herman is “a male given name from the Germanic languages.” Its etymology gives the senses “army” (here) and “man” (man).
From Old English here (“army”) + man (“man”) It was revived in the 19th century, partly due to American immigrants from continental Europe where the name has been more popular. Compare the German equivalent Hermann.
/ˈhɝmən/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Herman?
#2,368 among boys’ names, 2025
Herman fell from #1,708 in 2015 to #2,368 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 47.5 to 34.0 per million.
3,239 babies in 1921, the peak
Herman peaked in 1921, when 3,239 babies were given it (3,219 boys, #64 among boys’ names). The 58 births of 2025 are 2% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 58 | #2,368 | 0.03 |
| 2024 | 50 | #2,648 | 0.03 |
| 2023 | 60 | #2,329 | 0.04 |
| 2022 | 51 | #2,629 | 0.03 |
| 2021 | 46 | #2,747 | 0.03 |
| 2020 | 56 | #2,374 | 0.03 |
| 2019 | 73 | #2,006 | 0.04 |
| 2018 | 64 | #2,178 | 0.04 |
| 2017 | 56 | #2,328 | 0.03 |
| 2016 | 83 | #1,819 | 0.04 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 91 | #1,708 | 0.05 |
| 2014 | 73 | #1,967 | 0.04 |
| 2013 | 80 | #1,800 | 0.04 |
| 2012 | 65 | #2,095 | 0.03 |
| 2011 | 89 | #1,680 | 0.05 |
| 2010 | 76 | #1,887 | 0.04 |
| 2009 | 94 | #1,674 | 0.05 |
| 2008 | 101 | #1,575 | 0.05 |
| 2007 | 95 | #1,627 | 0.05 |
| 2006 | 102 | #1,493 | 0.05 |
| 2005 | 109 | #1,376 | 0.05 |
| 2004 | 120 | #1,259 | 0.06 |
| 2003 | 117 | #1,236 | 0.06 |
| 2002 | 115 | #1,204 | 0.06 |
| 2001 | 121 | #1,146 | 0.06 |
| 2000 | 129 | #1,090 | 0.07 |
| 1999 | 146 | #978 | 0.08 |
| 1998 | 151 | #933 | 0.08 |
| 1997 | 164 | #858 | 0.09 |
| 1996 | 184 | #790 | 0.10 |
| 1995 | 174 | #809 | 0.09 |
| 1994 | 191 | #761 | 0.10 |
| 1993 | 207 | #721 | 0.11 |
| 1992 | 219 | #696 | 0.11 |
| 1991 | 269 | #620 | 0.13 |
| 1990 | 252 | #634 | 0.12 |
| 1989 | 294 | #565 | 0.15 |
| 1988 | 277 | #552 | 0.14 |
| 1987 | 282 | #543 | 0.15 |
| 1986 | 276 | #537 | 0.15 |
| 1985 | 309 | #495 | 0.17 |
| 1984 | 277 | #511 | 0.15 |
| 1983 | 351 | #443 | 0.20 |
| 1982 | 361 | #447 | 0.20 |
| 1981 | 330 | #457 | 0.18 |
| 1980 | 367 | #428 | 0.21 |
| 1979 | 409 | #395 | 0.24 |
| 1978 | 382 | #395 | 0.23 |
| 1977 | 414 | #386 | 0.25 |
| 1976 | 435 | #366 | 0.28 |
| 1975 | 457 | #360 | 0.29 |
| 1974 | 454 | #361 | 0.29 |
| 1973 | 496 | #341 | 0.32 |
| 1972 | 550 | #326 | 0.34 |
| 1971 | 548 | #335 | 0.31 |
| 1970 | 616 | #317 | 0.33 |
| 1969 | 667 | #292 | 0.37 |
| 1968 | 664 | #286 | 0.38 |
| 1967 | 664 | #282 | 0.38 |
| 1966 | 753 | #267 | 0.42 |
| 1965 | 795 | #262 | 0.43 |
| 1964 | 914 | #253 | 0.46 |
| 1963 | 844 | #265 | 0.42 |
| 1962 | 999 | #246 | 0.48 |
| 1961 | 1,010 | #247 | 0.48 |
| 1960 | 1,050 | #246 | 0.49 |
| 1959 | 1,188 | #230 | 0.56 |
| 1958 | 1,212 | #217 | 0.57 |
| 1957 | 1,317 | #204 | 0.61 |
| 1956 | 1,326 | #201 | 0.63 |
| 1955 | 1,360 | #194 | 0.66 |
| 1954 | 1,416 | #186 | 0.69 |
| 1953 | 1,411 | #179 | 0.72 |
| 1952 | 1,497 | #175 | 0.77 |
| 1951 | 1,541 | #167 | 0.82 |
| 1950 | 1,564 | #159 | 0.87 |
| 1949 | 1,613 | #157 | 0.91 |
| 1948 | 1,837 | #146 | 1.0 |
| 1947 | 1,795 | #150 | 1.0 |
| 1946 | 1,590 | #152 | 1.0 |
| 1945 | 1,417 | #146 | 1.1 |
| 1944 | 1,641 | #129 | 1.2 |
| 1943 | 1,727 | #129 | 1.2 |
| 1942 | 1,787 | #122 | 1.3 |
| 1941 | 1,779 | #114 | 1.4 |
| 1940 | 1,670 | #113 | 1.4 |
| 1939 | 1,800 | #111 | 1.6 |
| 1938 | 1,900 | #108 | 1.7 |
| 1937 | 1,875 | #101 | 1.8 |
| 1936 | 1,816 | #105 | 1.8 |
| 1935 | 1,920 | #101 | 1.8 |
| 1934 | 2,011 | #97 | 1.9 |
| 1933 | 1,945 | #96 | 2.0 |
| 1932 | 2,191 | #89 | 2.1 |
| 1931 | 2,263 | #83 | 2.2 |
| 1930 | 2,598 | #78 | 2.4 |
| 1929 | 2,622 | #75 | 2.4 |
| 1928 | 2,588 | #78 | 2.3 |
| 1927 | 2,856 | #70 | 2.5 |
| 1926 | 2,798 | #69 | 2.5 |
| 1925 | 2,890 | #69 | 2.6 |
| 1924 | 2,954 | #70 | 2.6 |
| 1923 | 2,961 | #66 | 2.7 |
| 1922 | 3,014 | #66 | 2.8 |
| 1921 | 3,219 | #64 | 2.9 |
| 1920 | 3,109 | #66 | 2.9 |
| 1919 | 3,027 | #61 | 3.1 |
| 1918 | 3,041 | #65 | 3.0 |
| 1917 | 2,974 | #58 | 3.2 |
| 1916 | 3,043 | #56 | 3.4 |
| 1915 | 2,983 | #56 | 3.5 |
| 1914 | 2,430 | #51 | 3.7 |
| 1913 | 1,905 | #53 | 3.7 |
| 1912 | 1,646 | #50 | 3.8 |
| 1911 | 853 | #49 | 3.8 |
| 1910 | 696 | #52 | 3.6 |
| 1909 | 618 | #48 | 3.8 |
| 1908 | 562 | #50 | 3.6 |
| 1907 | 561 | #49 | 3.8 |
| 1906 | 502 | #49 | 3.8 |
| 1905 | 475 | #51 | 3.6 |
| 1904 | 497 | #47 | 3.9 |
| 1903 | 449 | #48 | 3.8 |
| 1902 | 457 | #49 | 3.7 |
| 1901 | 393 | #51 | 3.7 |
| 1900 | 550 | #49 | 3.7 |
| 1899 | 413 | #49 | 3.9 |
| 1898 | 467 | #50 | 3.8 |
| 1897 | 412 | #50 | 3.7 |
| 1896 | 427 | #49 | 3.6 |
| 1895 | 439 | #49 | 3.7 |
| 1894 | 433 | #48 | 3.7 |
| 1893 | 455 | #44 | 4.1 |
| 1892 | 421 | #51 | 3.4 |
| 1891 | 383 | #47 | 3.8 |
| 1890 | 382 | #50 | 3.4 |
| 1889 | 405 | #48 | 3.7 |
| 1888 | 403 | #51 | 3.3 |
| 1887 | 394 | #45 | 3.9 |
| 1886 | 418 | #44 | 3.8 |
| 1885 | 326 | #55 | 3.0 |
| 1884 | 385 | #48 | 3.4 |
| 1883 | 359 | #47 | 3.4 |
| 1882 | 348 | #51 | 3.1 |
| 1881 | 304 | #52 | 3.0 |
| 1880 | 347 | #48 | 3.1 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Herman a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Herman has been given almost only to boys: 795 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Herman: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Herman, and how old are they?
37,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 27% of the 136,772 Americans ever recorded as Herman. The median Herman alive today is 67 years old; half are between 52 and 77.
The 2020 Census counted 42,824 people named Herman (142 women and girls, 42,682 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 45,558 born in the U.S. The Census count is 6% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 6,200 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 16,400 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 7,670 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 4,030 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 1,760 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 835 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Herman born?
The states with the most babies named Herman are New York, Texas and North Carolina, with 20% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 9,161 | #1,347 | 0.8× |
| Texas | 8,819 | #2,167 | 1.2× |
| North Carolina | 6,184 | not ranked | 1.6× |
| Pennsylvania | 6,118 | not ranked | 0.7× |
| Louisiana | 6,030 | not ranked | 2.4× |
| Georgia | 5,780 | not ranked | 1.6× |
| Illinois | 5,202 | not ranked | 0.8× |
| Virginia | 4,967 | not ranked | 1.7× |
| Alabama | 4,798 | not ranked | 1.5× |
| Ohio | 4,406 | not ranked | 0.7× |
Where Herman is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Herman is most over-represented in Louisiana: since 1910 it was given 2.4 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Herman with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 4 names spelled alike, given to 141,624 babies since 1880, Herman is the most given (97% of them). In 2025 it was given to 58 of their 71 babies (82%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Herman
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Herman and names like it
- Compare Herman and HermonBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1920sHerman peaked in 1921.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Herman since 1910.
- Germanic namesWiktionary’s origin for Herman: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1921The year the most babies were named Herman.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Herman alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with HMost given first.