Henry
Henry is a boys' name of German origin meaning “ruler of the home.” It ranked #10 in the United States in 2025. Henry derives from the Germanic 'Heinrich' meaning 'ruler of the home.
how do you pronounce Henry?
HEN-ree
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Henry mean?
The name Henry means “ruler of the home.” It comes from the German language tradition.
Henry derives from the Germanic 'Heinrich' meaning 'ruler of the home.' Eight English kings bore the name. Its combination of royal gravitas and warm, friendly sound has kept it firmly in the top 10 for years.
where does the name Henry come from?
From the Germanic Heimirich, joining heim, meaning home or estate, with ric, meaning ruler or power. The sense is ruler of the household in the territorial rather than domestic meaning — the lord of an estate, not the head of a family.
the history of Henry
Eight English kings bore the name, and between them they broke with Rome, won Agincourt and ended the Wars of the Roses, so no other English royal name carries quite the same weight of incident. The French form Henri gave four kings of France. After drifting for much of the twentieth century it returned strongly, and now sits in the American and British top twenty.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2024 | #10 |
| 2023 | #10 |
| 2022 | #9 |
| 2021 | #9 |
| 2020 | #9 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
what are the nicknames and variants of Henry?
Nicknames
Variants around the world
who are famous people named Henry?
- Henry VIII (King of England)
- Henry David Thoreau (American philosopher)
- Henry Cavill (British actor)
what names are similar to Henry?
what names go well with Henry?
Sibling names that share Henry's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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