| Herman | Walter | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Army man / soldier | Army ruler |
| Origin | germanic | germanic |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | HUR-mun | WAWL-ter |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1921 (3,219) | 1918 (13,338) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 1,381 |
| Trend | Vintage | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Herman | Walter |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 321 | 7,725 |
| 2010s | 750 | 10,607 |
| 2000s | 1,103 | 8,133 |
| 1990s | 1,957 | 12,020 |
| 1980s | 3,124 | 17,568 |
| 1970s | 4,761 | 25,726 |
| 1960s | 8,360 | 45,929 |
| 1950s | 13,832 | 72,197 |
| 1940s | 16,856 | 83,728 |
| 1930s | 20,319 | 80,908 |
| 1920s | 29,011 | 119,809 |
| 1910s | 22,598 | 89,145 |
| 1900s | 5,064 | 19,997 |
| 1890s | 4,232 | 19,495 |
| 1880s | 3,689 | 18,185 |
From Germanic 'heri' (army) and 'man' (man), giving 'man of the army, soldier'. The Latinized Arminius refers to the same Cheruscan war-leader.
From Germanic 'wald' (rule, power) and 'heri' (army), giving 'ruler/commander of the army'. Brought to England by the Normans.
Walter is more popular than Herman today: about 1,381 US babies were given the name Walter in 2025, compared with 0 named Herman.
Herman means Army man / soldier (germanic origin), while Walter means Army ruler (germanic origin).
In US records, Herman first appears in 0 and Walter in 1880, so Herman has the longer recorded history.