| Herman | Louis | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Army man / soldier | Famous warrior |
| Origin | germanic | germanic |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | HUR-mun | LOO-ee |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1921 (3,219) | 1921 (7,247) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 1,391 |
| Trend | Vintage | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Herman | Louis |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 321 | 8,577 |
| 2010s | 750 | 11,815 |
| 2000s | 1,103 | 10,262 |
| 1990s | 1,957 | 14,436 |
| 1980s | 3,124 | 17,354 |
| 1970s | 4,761 | 20,145 |
| 1960s | 8,360 | 33,382 |
| 1950s | 13,832 | 47,933 |
| 1940s | 16,856 | 49,430 |
| 1930s | 20,319 | 47,754 |
| 1920s | 29,011 | 67,693 |
| 1910s | 22,598 | 50,600 |
| 1900s | 5,064 | 10,372 |
| 1890s | 4,232 | 8,442 |
| 1880s | 3,689 | 8,275 |
From Germanic 'heri' (army) and 'man' (man), giving 'man of the army, soldier'. The Latinized Arminius refers to the same Cheruscan war-leader.
From the Frankish Hludwig, combining 'hlud' (famous, loud) with 'wig' (war, battle), hence 'famous in war'. Carried by 18 kings of France.
Louis is more popular than Herman today: about 1,391 US babies were given the name Louis in 2025, compared with 0 named Herman.
Herman means Army man / soldier (germanic origin), while Louis means Famous warrior (germanic origin).
In US records, Herman first appears in 0 and Louis in 1880, so Herman has the longer recorded history.