The nameHenry

Meaning

Henry comes from the Germanic Heimirich, made of heim, "home", and ric, "ruler, power". It means "ruler of the home" or "lord of the house".

Origin

Germanic, through Norman French. The French Henri became Henry in England, where it was long pronounced and written Harry in everyday speech.

History

Eight kings of England were called Henry, from Henry I, son of William the Conqueror, to Henry VIII and his six wives. Henry was a top 10 name in the United States at the start of the 20th century, faded after the 1950s, then came back: it was sixth in 2024. Prince Harry, born Henry in 1984, also helped.

Famous people named Henry

• Henry VIII, King of England
• Henry Ford, industrialist
• Henry David Thoreau, writer
• Henry Cavill, actor

Popularity of the name Henry

Henry in the United States

Henry was most popular in the United States in the 1920s, with 105,474 births over the decade, 14% of all recorded babies named Henry. Half of all babies named Henry in the United States were born before 1947, although it is popular again today. Over the last five years on record, its popularity has held steady at around 11,205 births a year.

Henry in the United Kingdom

Henry was most popular in the United Kingdom in the 2010s, with 32,141 births over the decade, 47% of all recorded babies named Henry. Half of all babies named Henry in the United Kingdom were born before 2014, so it is mostly a name of today's children and teenagers. Over the last five years on record, it has been falling: 2,653 births a year on average, against 3,278 in the five years before.

Henry in Ireland

Henry in France

Henry in Belgium

Henry in Switzerland

Henry in Austria

Henry in Norway