2000
#2,541
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,056
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.84
Uncommon Last name
Herrmann
An occupational surname for a soldier, referring to a man who was in charge of an army.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,610 Americans carry the last name Herrmann. That puts it at #2,754 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,460 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Herrmann 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Herrmann with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 23,460
Census rank
#2,754
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,741 bearers of the surname Herrmann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2754th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Herrmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Herrmann
The surname HERRMANN is of German origin, derived from the Germanic personal name Hermann, which was composed of the elements "heri" meaning army and "man" meaning man. The name essentially translates to "warrior" or "soldier."
The name HERRMANN can be traced back to the Middle Ages, and it was particularly prevalent in the regions of Germany and parts of modern-day Austria. It is believed to have originated in the 8th or 9th century during the Carolingian period.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name HERRMANN can be found in the 11th century Codex Traditionum Monasterii Sancti Michaelis Bambergensis, a medieval manuscript from the Bamberg Monastery in Bavaria. This document contains references to several individuals with the name HERRMANN.
In the 12th century, the name appears in the Chronica Regia Coloniensis, a chronicle of the archbishops of Cologne, which mentions a Hermann von Hochstaden who served as the Archbishop of Cologne from 1193 to 1203.
A notable figure in history with the surname HERRMANN was Hermann von Salza (c. 1179-1239), the fourth Grand Master of the Teutonic Order. He played a crucial role in the Prussian Crusade and was instrumental in the establishment of the Teutonic Order's domains in Prussia.
Another prominent individual was Johann Hermann (1527-1605), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of algebraic notation and the study of conic sections.
In the 18th century, Johann Gottfried Jakob Hermann (1772-1848), a German philologist and critic, gained recognition for his work on Greek literature and his contributions to the study of ancient texts.
Gottfried Hermann (1772-1848), a German classical scholar and educator, is known for his influential works on Greek grammar and his contributions to the field of philology.
Friedrich Herrmann (1828-1907), a German historian and archivist, made significant contributions to the study of medieval German history and the preservation of historical records.
These are just a few examples of notable figures throughout history who bore the surname HERRMANN, highlighting its long-standing presence and significance across various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Herrmann
Among Census respondents with the surname Herrmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Herrmann 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 Herrmann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 11,801
- Two or more races3.0% · 385
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 361
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 97
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 54
- Black or African American0.3% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Herrmann
Herrmann 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
#2,723
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,226
+170 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 4.48
Rank movement Down 182 places
2020
#2,754
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,741
-485 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 4.26
Rank movement Down 31 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,541 | 13,056 | 4.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,723 | 13,226 | 4.48 | +170 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 182 places |
| 2020 | #2,754 | 12,741 | 4.26 | -485 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 31 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 Herrmann 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 | #2,723 | #2,754 | -1.1% |
| Count | 13,226 | 12,741 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 4.48 | 4.26 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Herrmann bearers went from 13,226 to 12,741 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 31 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,723 to #2,754.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Herrmann
FAQ
Herrmann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Herrmann?
Name Census estimates that about 14,610 living Americans carry the surname Herrmann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,460 residents.
How common is Herrmann?
Herrmann ranks #2,754 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,741 people with the surname Herrmann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,610), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Herrmann.
Has Herrmann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Herrmann went from 13,226 recorded bearers to 12,741. That is a decrease of 485 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,723 to #2,754.
What does the Census say about the background of Herrmann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Herrmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Herrmann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (11,801 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Herrmann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Herrmann (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 Herrmann mean?
An occupational surname for a soldier, referring to a man who was in charge of an army. 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 Herrmann (4.26 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 have the last name Herrmann?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Herrmann? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.