Where does the last name 'German' come from?

i am african american, all i know is my grandad looks i guess Haitian or dark with indian mixed, i hae no idea. um they are deceased now so i cant ask them. i also recently found out some people in dominican republic have this last name but of course the pronunciation is different, does that make a difference? i also know of some white people with this last name. please help with any info that could help. thanks

Where does the last name 'German' come from?
English: ethnic name from Old French germain 鈥楪erman鈥?(Latin Germanus). This sometimes denoted an actual immigrant from Germany, but was also used to refer to a person who had trade or other connections with German-speaking lands. The Latin word Germanus is of obscure and disputed origin; the most plausible of the etymologies that have been proposed is that the people were originally known as the 鈥榮pear-men鈥? with Germanic ger, gar 鈥榮pear鈥?as the first element.


English (of Norman origin): from the Old French personal name Germain (see Germain).


Americanized spelling of Spanish Germ谩n or Hungarian Germ谩n, cognates of 2.


German: from the saint鈥檚 name German(us). See also Germann.


Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): Russianized variant of Hermann.


Greek: reduced form of Germanos, a Greek personal name, bestowed in honor of saints of the Eastern Church distinct from St. Germain: in particular, St. Germanos in the 8th century, liturgical poet and patriarch of Constantinople. The Greek surname can also denote someone associated with Germany or someone with blond hair.