In 4th grade, we were given the assignment of finding out what our last name meant. Unlike the Smiths and Johnsons in the class (and the teacher, Mrs. Brewer), this presented me with some difficulty, and my teacher and I were unable to figure it out. That always bothered me (although, I'll admit, this bother was burried deep in the back of my mind). Recently, however, I realized that the Web probably had resources for me to finally answer this question.
Surnames: What's In A Name provided me with just what I was looking for. From this, I learned the following:
"Herman is from the Germanic given name composed of the elements Heri, hari = army + man = man. Harman is the French cognate of the name, and Harmon is the English cognate (of Norman origin). The name Hermann is of ancient origin, and the Latin historian Tacitus recorded the name of the leader of the Cherusci as the first bearer of the name, in the 1st century AD. Numerous variants, cognates and diminutive forms exist as well."
I have recently found that few of the meanings of my other surnames appear in the database. I am therefore looking for another list (that includes, for example, Bellinger).