Herman (name)

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.

Contents

• Middle Ages
• Early Modern
• Modern
• Fictional characters
• As a surname
• References

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 English-speaking world in the 19th century, particularly in the United States.

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

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, Ermanno, feminine Ermina, Ermana, Hirmina, Hermena.