Last updated: March 2026

Character Name

Hermann

Meaning — A Germanic masculine name composed of "hari" or "heri" meaning "army" and "mann" meaning "man" — thus "army man" or "warrior". The name was borne by Arminius (the Latinised form of Hermann), the Germanic chieftain who defeated three Roman legions in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD, a victory that became foundational to German national mythology.·Germanic origin·Male·HER-mahn

Hermann Hermann carries a deeply Teutonic patriarchal weight — it is simultaneously the name of a Germanic national hero and one of the most common bourgeois given names of 19th and early 20th-century Germany. Characters named Hermann range from commanding warlord figures to the quintessential solid German burgher. The name suits protagonists of sweeping historical novels as well as intimate domestic fiction set in the German-speaking world.

Best genres for Hermann

Historical FictionLiterary FictionAdventureFantasy

Famous characters named Hermann

No verified literary characters with this exact given name were found yet. We are continuously expanding this section.


Variations & nicknames

HermannHermanArminiusHartmann

Pairs well with

Hermann MüllerHermann SchmidtHermann WeberHermann BrauerHermann KohlHermann Falk

Writing a character named Hermann?

Hearth's distraction-free editor helps you develop characters and write every day.

Start writing free

Related names


More Germanic names

Carrie

A diminutive of Caroline or Carolyn, which are feminine forms of Karl/Carl, from the Old Germanic karlaz meaning "free man." Carrie has functioned as an independent name since the 19th century. The name is also sometimes used as a short form of Carolyn and of Carol. Its most famous literary association is with Stephen King's debut novel.

Wolfram

A Germanic masculine name composed of "wulf" meaning "wolf" and "hraban" or "raban" meaning "raven". Both the wolf and raven were sacred animals in Germanic and Norse mythology — wolves as companions of Odin, ravens (Huginn and Muninn) as his divine messengers. The name thus combines two of the most powerful symbols of the Germanic warrior-world and Odin's cult.

Greta

A German and Scandinavian short form of Margareta (Margaret), itself derived through Latin and Greek from the Persian word "margārīt" meaning "pearl". Greta became a common independent given name in the German-speaking world and Scandinavia, disseminated through the tradition of Germanic pet-name formation. It gained international recognition through Swedish-American actress Greta Garbo.

Ansel

An English and Germanic name derived from the Old High German "Anshelm" or "Anselm", composed of "ans" meaning "god" (specifically one of the Æsir or Germanic divine beings) and "helm" meaning "helmet" or "protection" — thus "protected by god" or "under divine protection". The name was borne most famously by Saint Anselm of Canterbury (1033–1109), the Italian-born Archbishop of Canterbury and philosopher who formulated the ontological argument for God's existence.

Gertrude

A Germanic feminine name composed of "ger" meaning "spear" and "þrúðr" meaning "strength" — thus "spear-strength" or "the strength of the spear". The name was borne by Saint Gertrude of Nivelles (626–659), the patron of travellers and gardeners, and Saint Gertrude the Great (1256–c.1302), the mystical theologian. Its literary association is dominated by Gertrude, Queen of Denmark in Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Erna

A Germanic and Scandinavian feminine name, a short form of names beginning with the Old High German element "arn" meaning "eagle" — such as Ernesta or Ernaline — or alternatively a feminine form of Ernst (from "earnest, serious"). The name was especially common in Germany and Scandinavia in the 19th and early 20th centuries.


Explore more