| Randolph | Herman | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | shield wolf | Army man / soldier |
| Origin | germanic | germanic |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | RAN-dolf | HUR-mun |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 0 |
| Peak year | 1952 (1,817) | 1921 (3,219) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Trend | Vintage | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Randolph | Herman |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 133 | 321 |
| 2010s | 434 | 750 |
| 2000s | 799 | 1,103 |
| 1990s | 1,572 | 1,957 |
| 1980s | 2,900 | 3,124 |
| 1970s | 4,020 | 4,761 |
| 1960s | 8,195 | 8,360 |
| 1950s | 15,496 | 13,832 |
| 1940s | 7,555 | 16,856 |
| 1930s | 2,854 | 20,319 |
| 1920s | 2,735 | 29,011 |
| 1910s | 1,857 | 22,598 |
| 1900s | 414 | 5,064 |
| 1890s | 267 | 4,232 |
| 1880s | 193 | 3,689 |
From the Germanic/Old Norse name Randwulf (Rannulfr), combining 'rand' ('shield, rim') and 'wulf/ulfr' ('wolf'), meaning 'shield wolf'. Note some Norman forms became confused with Rannulf ('raven wolf').
From Germanic 'heri' (army) and 'man' (man), giving 'man of the army, soldier'. The Latinized Arminius refers to the same Cheruscan war-leader.
Randolph and Herman are given to a similar number of US babies today.
Randolph means shield wolf (germanic origin), while Herman means Army man / soldier (germanic origin).
In US records, Randolph first appears in 0 and Herman in 0, so Randolph has the longer recorded history.