Meaning and history
Germaine is the French feminine form of Germain, though it has also been used for men. Germain derives from Latin Germanus, meaning “brother,” “genuine,” or “of the same parents”; it is not necessarily an ethnic reference to Germany. Saint Germain of Paris and other saints preserved the name in French Christian use. Notable bearers include Australian writer and feminist Germaine Greer and French composer Germaine Tailleferre, the only woman in the group Les Six.
20062006: 21 births, rank #4,370
2007: 26 births, rank #3,893
2008: 23 births, rank #4,267
2009: 26 births, rank #3,919
2010: 29 births, rank #3,633
20112011: 23 births, rank #4,221
2012: 25 births, rank #4,003
2013: 11 births, rank #7,026
2014: 14 births, rank #5,997
2015: 14 births, rank #5,999
20162016: 6 births, rank #10,744
2017: 17 births, rank #5,297
2018: 5 births, rank #12,156
2019: 11 births, rank #7,173
2020: 6 births, rank #10,605
20212021: 8 births, rank #8,825
2022: 5 births, rank #12,330
2023: 10 births, rank #7,738
2024: 6 births, rank #10,938
20252025: 7 births, rank #9,714
Germaine rose from #992 to #925 for boys between 1978 and 1980. Its highest annual birth count came in 1972, with 157 births.