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Henry

German
"estate ruler"
Madison Dresler
By Madison Dresler
Updated Mon Sep 02 2024

Henry Origin and Meaning

The name Henry is a boy's name of German origin meaning "estate ruler".

Henry is back. The classic Henry climbed back onto the Top 10 in the US in 2021 for the first time in over a century, and now stands at Number 8.

Like James and Theodore, Henry is a traditional name that also manages to feel stylish. Despite its popularity, it's not for everyone, but in some upscale American suburbs, it can seem as if every other little boy is named Henry or Theo or Jack.

Henry was derived from the French Henri, which ultimately comes from the Germanic name Heimrich, made up of the components heim, meaning "home" or "estate," and rich, meaning "ruler." The most famous bearer is Henry VIII of England, best known for having six wives—two of whom he beheaded for not bearing him sons. It’s been used in the British royal family many times since, including for the current prince better known as Harry.

Other illustrious Henrys that might provide baby name inspiration include Henry David Thoreau, Henry (Hank) Aaron, Henry James, Henry Ford and Henry Miller.

Numerous celebs have chosen Henry for their sons, from Julia Roberts to Minnie Driver to Heidi Klum to Colin Farrell.

Appealing international versions include Arrigo, Enrico, Enzio and Enrique.

# 8 in the US

Henry Rank in US Top 1000

# 11 on Nameberry

Henry Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Henry Popularity

Famous People Named Henry

  • Henry IV, Kings of France
  • Henry IVIII, Kings of England
  • Henry IIVI, Holy Roman Emperors
  • Henry IIV, Kings of Castile
  • Henry the FowlerKing of Germany
  • HenryKing of Portugal
  • Henry StuartLord Darnley, King consort of Mary, queen of Scots
  • Henry Charles Albert DavidPrince of the United Kingdom, Duke of Sussex (commonly known as Prince Harry)
  • Henry the Navigator (Infante Dom Henrique)Portuguese prince
  • Henry Benedict Stuart aka Henry IXJacobite pretender to the English throne
  • Henry ClayU.S. Secretary of State and Senator from Kentucky
  • Henry David ThoreauAmerican author
  • Henry Wadsworth LongfellowAmerican poet
  • Henry Rider HaggardBritish author
  • Henry FordAmerican founder of the Ford Motor Company
  • Heinz Alfred "Henry" KissingerGerman,born U.S. Secretary of State
  • Henry Franklin WinklerAmerican actor known for portraying "The Fonz"
  • Henry Jaynes "Hank" FondaAmerican actor
  • HenryBishop of Finland
  • Henry Louis "Hank" AaronAmerican baseball player
  • Henry William Dalgliesh CavillBritish actor
  • Henry JamesAmerican novelist
  • Henry Bertram Price30th Governor of Guam
  • Henry Morrison FlaglerAmerican oilman and founder of Miami, Florida
  • Henry Hathaway (born Marquis Henri Léopold de Fiennes)American film director
  • Henry Oswald Simmons Jr.American actor
  • Henry Valentine MillerAmerican novelist
  • Henry Ian CusickPeruvian,born Scottish actor
  • Henry MorganWelsh pirate
  • Henry Philip HynoskiAmerican NFL football player
  • Henry James MeltonAmerican NFL football player
  • Henry Augustus RowlandAmerican physicist
  • Henry LauCanadian singer of Chinese boy band Super Junior,M
  • Henry Joseph WoodEnglish conductor of The Proms
  • Henry Spencer MooreEnglish sculptor
  • Henry "Harry" GoodsirScottish medical doctor
  • Henry Neilson WrigleyAustralian Air Force commander
  • O. Henrypen name of William Sydney Porter, American short story writer
  • Henry LauHong Kong,Canadian singer
  • Henry Gummerson of actress Meryl Streep
  • Henry Blake Mortensenson of actor Viggo Mortensen
  • Henry Pays Bernsenson of actor Corbin Bernsen
  • Henry Hallson of actors Julia Louis,Dreyfus and Brad Hall
  • Henry Günther Ademola Dashtu Samuel (b. 2005)son of model Heidi Klum and singer Seal
  • Henry Chance Aronofsky (b. 2006)son of actress Rachel Weisz
  • Henry Daniel Moder (b. 2007)son of actress Julia Roberts and Daniel Moder
  • Henry Lee White (b. 2007)son of musician Jack White and model Karen Elson
  • Henry Story Lea (b. 2008)son of actress Minnie Driver and Timothy J. Lea
  • Henry Tadeusz Farrell (b. 2009)son of actor Colin Farrell
  • Henry Atticus Green (b. 2010)son of novelist John Green
  • Henry Flowers (b. 2011)son of singer Brandon Flowers of The Killers
  • Henry Lamar Hornsby (b. 2011)son of actors David Hornsby and Emily Deschanel
  • Henry Peet Friedman (b. 2014)son of actress Amanda Peet
  • Henry Richard Francis Jackson (b. 2015)son of actress Emily Symons and Paul Jackson
  • Henry Griffiths (b. 2015)son of vloggers Beau & Emily Griffiths from the channel A Griffiths Life Vlogs
  • Henry Harris Hebel (b. 2016)son of American actress and comedian Rachael Harris
  • Henry Wilberforce Seewald (b. 2017)son of reality TV's Jessa (Duggar) and Ben Seewald
  • Henry Magnus Dunstanson of Australian youtubers Rohan and Chloe Dunstan (Life with Beans)
  • Henry Harold "Hal" Hager(b. 2019), son of Harry and Jenna Bush Hager.

Henry in Pop Culture

  • "OhHenry" song by the Civil Wars
  • Oh Henry!chocolate bar
  • Henry Haluki is a character in Lisa Mcmann's "Unwanteds" book series
  • Lord Henry "Harry" Wottoncharacter in Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray"
  • Henry Clervalcharacter in Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein"
  • Dr Henry Jekyllcharacter from "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde"
  • Henry Wintercharacter in Donna Tartt's "The Secret History"
  • Henry Higginscharacter in G. B. Shaw's "Pygmalion" and musical "My Fair Lady"
  • Henry Baskervillecharacter in Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Hound of the Baskervilles”
  • Henry Rowengartnercharacter in movie "Rookie of the Year"
  • Henry Jones Jr.aka Indiana Jones, movie character
  • Henry Dentoncharacter in Shaun David Hutchinson's "We Are The Ants"
  • Henry Deaconcharacter on TV's "Eureka"
  • Henry Hartaka Kid Danger, character on Nickelodeon's TV series "Henry Danger"
  • Henry Tilneycharacter in Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey"
  • Henry Gale aka Uncle Henrycharacter in L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz
  • Henry Townshendcharacter in video game "Silent Hill 4: The Room"
  • Henry Gondorffmain character in movie "The Sting"
  • Henry Millscharacter on TV's "Once Upon a Time"
  • Henry BassChuck Bass and Blair Waldorf's son on TV's "Gossip Girl"
  • Henrycharacter in "Fire Emblem: Awakening"
  • Henry DeTamblethe time traveler in book/movie "The Time Traveler's Wife"
  • Henrytrain on animated series "Thomas & Friends"
  • Henry Grahammain character in movie "A New Leaf"
  • Henry "Harry" Sandwithmain character in G. A. Henty's, In the Reign of Terror
  • Henry Dashwoodcharacter in movie "What a Girl Wants"
  • Henry Gibsoncharacter on TV's "What I Like About You"
  • Henry Aldencharacter in The Boxcar Children series
  • Henry Rothcharacter in movie "50 First Dates"
  • Henry Spencercharacter on TV's "Psych"
  • Henry Branwellcharacter in Cassandra Clare's "Infernal Devices" Series
  • Henry D'Ysquithcharacter in musical "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder"
  • Henry Hugglemonstercharacter in the British animated series of the same name
  • Henry Evanscharacter in movie "The Good Son"
  • Henry Hugginscharacter in books by Beverly Cleary
  • Henry JareauLaMontagne, Jennifer Jareau's son on TV's "Criminal Minds"
  • Henry Jonathan "Hank" Pymcharacter in Marvel Universe
  • Henry Pym Jr.character in Marvel Universe
  • Henry Philip "Hank" McCoycharacter in Marvel Universe
  • Henry Morganmain character of the television series "Forever".
  • Henry Sikorskycharacter in movie "The Dream Team"
  • Henry Yewbeamcharacter in Jenny Nimmo's "The Children of the Red King" series
  • Henry Pollardmain character in the TV series "Party Down"
  • Henry Harpercharacter in Kerstin Gier's 'Silber Trilogy'
  • Henry York Maccabeecharacter in N.D. Wilson"s "100 Cupboards" Trilogy
  • Henri Jaakoppicharacter in Kiera Cass' 'Selection' Series
  • Henry "Harry" PotterGreat grandfather of Harry Potter, grandfather to James Potter, father of Fleamont Potter; character in the Harry Potter series
  • Henry Allencharacter in DC Universe
  • Henry Hewittcharacter in DC Universe
  • Henry ShawSr. and Jr., characters in J.K. Rowling's "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them"
  • Henry Talbotcharacter on TV's "Downton Abbey"
  • Henry Wongcharacter in anime "Digimon Tamers"
  • Henry Deavercharacter in "Castle Rock"
  • Henry Burtonhusband of Teddy Altman on TV's "Grey's Anatomy"
  • Henry Andrewscharacter on TV's "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"
  • Prince Henrycharacter in "Ever After"
  • "The History of Henry Esmond" novel by William Makepeace Thackeray
  • "Henry" newspaper comic strip by Carl Anderson and its main character
  • "The Wallflower (Roll With MeHenry)," song by Etta James
  • HenryLuxa's cousin in Gregor The Overlander
  • Henry Turnerson of Will and Elizabeth Turner in "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales"
  • Henry McCordcharacter on TV's "Madam Secretary"

Henry in Nameberry Blog Posts