Hermann
A Germanic surname from an old personal name meaning “army-man” or “warrior.”
The #4,010 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 34,855 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hermann comes from the old Germanic personal name Herman/Hermann, built from elements meaning “army” and “man.” In other words, the name originally meant something like “warrior” or “man of the army.” It was used as a given name long before it became a surname.
History
The name is very old in continental Germanic usage and is attested early in medieval records. In English sources it appears in Domesday-era forms such as Hermannus, which shows that it was established as a personal name quite early. Later, it became a hereditary surname in German-speaking regions and spread widely through migration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some 19th-century writers linked Hermann with an ancient Germanic deity-name, but modern surname dictionaries usually treat the name more simply as an old compound personal name.
From the historical record
“As early as Domesday found as Hermannua ; cf. the Ger- man Hermann. With Harman, cf. Clark and Clerk, Parkins and Perkins, &c Nicholas Hetman, co. Saffolk, 1373. A.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances