Herman

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ORIGIN AND HISTORY

Herman is the English form of the German Hermann. Some German settled areas of the United States who adopted this name for their cities or towns still use the German spelling. Herman is from an “old Germanic personal name composed of the elements heri, hari army + man man.”^[1]

POPULARITY

According to the Social Security Administration, Herman has not been one of the 1000 most popular names in the United States since 1999. In that year it ranked 979th after a precipitous decade of decline. Herman’s highest level of popularity was approximately 100 years ago when, from 1908 through 1934, it ranked within the top 100 most popular names in the country. The most popular year for the name Herman in the past 100 years was in 1909 when it ranked 48th. Even after that period, however, Herman held a respectable position in the United States. During the 1940s through the mid 1980s it ranked from the mid 100 to below 500, respectively, and did not start its dramatic decline until 1990s. It entered that decade at 637th and vanished by the year 2000.

FACTS

• Hermann, Missouri, also known as "Dream City," was founded in 1837 by German immigrants. It is known for its shops and vineyards and was selected as "Missouri's Most Beautiful City" several times.^[1]
• Herman Miller is one of the largest and most successful furniture companies in the United States. The company largely focuses on office furniture and ergonomic office chairs that are supposed to compensate for long periods of time at the desk and in the office.

NAMESAKES

• Herman Munster was a character from the popular television situation comedy "The Munsters." He was the lovable father (although hardly the patriarch) of a family of monster-like humans who seemed to be the last ones to realize they were different or unusual looking. Herman Munster was played by actor Fred Gwynne.
• Herman, Minnesota is locate 180 miles northwest of Minneapolis. This largely farming community experienced a brush with international fame when "Herman bachelors were the rage of the romantic world. (A movie about Herman's bachelors, Herman, USA, was shown at Minneapolis' historic State Theatre Friday, April 6, 2001." ^[1]

FAMOUS PERSONS

• Herman Melville was one of the most popular writers in America. Unfortunately, he did not enjoy his popularity during his lifetime. Arguably his most successful novel, Moby Dick, did not begin to sell successfully until something of a resurgence some years after his death.

Author: Mike Szimanski

NOTES