2000
#13,291
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Herrman
A German occupational surname referring to a soldier, warrior, or someone who made military equipment.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,446 Americans carry the last name Herrman. That puts it at #13,603 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 140,129 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Herrman surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 140,129
Census rank
#13,603
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,133 bearers of the surname Herrman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13603rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Herrman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Herrman
The surname HERRMAN has its origins rooted in Germany, and it can be traced back to the Middle Ages. The name is believed to have derived from the Germanic personal name Hermann, which is a combination of the elements "heri" meaning army and "man" meaning man, essentially translating to "army man" or "warrior."
During the medieval period, the HERRMAN surname was prevalent in various regions of Germany, particularly in areas such as Saxony, Bavaria, and the Rhineland. It is possible that the name was initially used as a descriptive term for individuals who were soldiers or warriors before becoming an inherited surname.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the HERRMAN name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents from Saxony, dating back to the 11th century. This suggests that the name was already in use during that time period in this region of Germany.
In the 13th century, a notable figure bearing the HERRMAN surname was Hermann von Salza, the fourth Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, a Catholic medieval military order. He lived from around 1179 to 1239 and played a significant role in the Prussian Crusade.
Another prominent individual with the HERRMAN surname was Johann Gottfried Jakob Hermann, a German classical philologist and critic who lived from 1772 to 1848. He is renowned for his contributions to the study of Greek literature and textual criticism.
During the 16th century, the HERRMAN surname was also found in various places across Europe, including the Netherlands and France. One example is Jacobus Herrman, a Dutch colonist who settled in the Delaware Valley region of North America in the mid-17th century and played a role in establishing the first European settlements in that area.
The HERRMAN surname has also been associated with place names and locations throughout history. For instance, the town of Herrmannsacker in Germany is believed to have derived its name from an individual named Hermann who may have been an early settler or landowner in the area.
Over the centuries, variations in the spelling of the HERRMAN surname have emerged, including Herrmann, Harman, and Herman, among others. These variations can often be attributed to regional dialects, linguistic variations, and transcription errors that occurred as the name was passed down through generations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Herrman
Among Census respondents with the surname Herrman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Herrman bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Herrman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 1,979
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 70
- Two or more races2.5% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 14
- Black or African American0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Herrman
Herrman appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#13,752
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,200
+95 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 461 places
2020
#13,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,133
-67 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 149 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,291 | 2,105 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,752 | 2,200 | 0.75 | +95 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 461 places |
| 2020 | #13,603 | 2,133 | 0.71 | -67 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 149 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Herrman surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #13,752 | #13,603 | 1.1% |
| Count | 2,200 | 2,133 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.71 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Herrman bearers went from 2,200 to 2,133 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 149 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,752 to #13,603.
FAQ
Herrman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Herrman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,446 living Americans carry the surname Herrman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 140,129 residents.
How common is Herrman?
Herrman ranks #13,603 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,133 people with the surname Herrman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,446), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Herrman.
Has Herrman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Herrman went from 2,200 recorded bearers to 2,133. That is a decrease of 67 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,752 to #13,603.
What does the Census say about the background of Herrman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Herrman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Herrman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (1,979 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Herrman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Herrman (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Herrman mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a soldier, warrior, or someone who made military equipment. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Herrman (0.71 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Herrman?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Herrman on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.