US rank #2627 Boys' name Peak 1921 135,914 births

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.

1880s36891890s42321900s50641910s225981920s290111930s203191940s168561950s138331960s83591970s47611980s31241990s19572000s11012010s7492020s261
#2627
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 82% of names given to boys today.

1920s
Peak decade

21% of everyone ever named Herman was born in this single decade.

1921
Single peak year

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 1,000

Total births

135,914

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1921

3,219 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#2,627

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Herman popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1921)
3,219
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-1,00001,0002,0003,0004,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 347

Herman popularity over time — girls

795 total births recorded since 1891 (Herman as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 795 births
010203040 198019671956194719381929192019101891 7

Herman by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
29,011 births that decade — 21% of Herman's all-time total
1880s36891890s42321900s50641910s225981920s290111930s203191940s168561950s138331960s83591970s47611980s31241990s19572000s11012010s7492020s261

Herman by state

Where Herman concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Herman
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%
New York share of Herman's total US births 6.7%
Even split

9,153 of 135,914 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Herman appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Herman?
135,914 babies have been named Herman since 1880. It currently ranks #2627 among boys. The peak year was 1921 with 3,219 births.
When was Herman most popular?
Herman was most popular in the 1920s decade with 29,011 total births. The single peak year was 1921.
Where is Herman most popular?
The top states for the name Herman are New York (9,153 births), Texas (8,802 births), North Carolina (6,179 births).
How long has the name Herman been used?
Herman has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Herman?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Herbert, Herschel, Hershel, Heriberto, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

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.