Herman — #2627 US boys' name
135,914 babies named Herman in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1921. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
More common than 82% of names given to boys today.
21% of everyone ever named Herman was born in this single decade.
3,219 babies were named Herman in 1921 — its busiest year on record.
What the Data Says About Herman
The Social Security Administration has registered 135,914 babies named Herman between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Herman currently holds the #2627 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1921, when 3,219 babies received it in a single year.
Decade-level aggregation shows that Herman performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 29,011 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Herman shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 9,153 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Texas and North Carolina. In total, SSA state-level files list Herman in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.
No etymological entry is currently available for Herman in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 135,914 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.
Herman at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
Current rank
Active since
Herman popularity over time — boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880
- Peak year (1921)
- 3,219
- Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
Currently ranks #2627 among boys.
135,914 total births across 145 years of SSA records. Peaked in 1921 with 3,219 births in a single year.
Herman popularity over time — girls
795 total births recorded since 1891 (Herman as girls' name)
Unisex use remains the minority pattern
The girls' variant of Herman accounts for 1% of total recorded use across both genders.
Herman by decade
Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance
- Peak decade
- 1920s
- 29,011 births that decade — 21% of Herman's all-time total
Herman decade highlights
- Peak decade 29,011 births
- Runner-up 22,598 births
- Modern era share 2010s + 2020s
- Decades tracked with recorded births
1920s was Herman's strongest decade
29,011 babies received the name during that ten-year window — about 21% of all-time use.
Herman by state
Where Herman concentrates geographically — total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 9,153 | 6.7% |
| #2 | Texas | | 8,802 | 6.5% |
| #3 | North Carolina | | 6,179 | 4.5% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 6,118 | 4.5% |
| #5 | Louisiana | | 6,030 | 4.4% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 5,780 | 4.3% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 5,201 | 3.8% |
| #8 | Virginia | | 4,968 | 3.7% |
9,153 of 135,914 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Top 5 states
- New York 6.7% of nationwide
- Texas 6.5% of nationwide
- North Carolina 4.5% of nationwide
- Pennsylvania 4.5% of nationwide
- Louisiana 4.4% of nationwide
Recorded in 51 of 51 SSA jurisdictions
New York accounts for 6.7% of all recorded births nationwide — a relatively diffuse profile for this name.
Herman appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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Keep exploring Herman
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Data Sources
Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.