Harms
A patronymic surname meaning “son of Harm,” where Harm is a short form of Hermann.
The #2,518 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 21,475 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Harms is best understood as a family-name built from the personal name Harm, a shortened form of Hermann. In this formation, the final -s marks descent or possession, so the surname originally meant “Harm’s son” or “belonging to Harm.” The base name Hermann comes from Germanic elements meaning roughly “army” and “man.”
History
The name is especially associated with northern German and Dutch naming practice, where short personal names often became hereditary surnames with -s. Historical references also show the related forms Harmens and Herms, reflecting the same name family. In modern usage Harms remains most common in German-speaking and Dutch-descended communities, and it also appears in North America through immigration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The source material explicitly notes Harms as a family name derived from Harm, itself a contraction of Hermann.
From the historical record
“Harm, m. (contraction of Hermann); f. dimin. Harmke; fam. n., Harms, Harmens Haro, Hare, m. ; Haren, Haringa, Harringa, fam. n.”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)