Hendrik
A masculine Dutch name derived from Henric, meaning "ruler of the home".
Name Census estimates that about 1,282 living Americans carry the first name Hendrik. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hendrik today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hendrik births was 2020 (85 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hendrik. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Hendrik is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 18 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.3K
~ 1 in 267,359 Americans
Peak year
2020
85 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,716
Tracked since 1917
Popularity
Hendrik: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hendrik from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 549 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Hendrik remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hendrik by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Hendrik during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hendriks live
The SSA's state-level files cover 11 states and territories. California, Michigan, Texas recorded the most babies named Hendrik, while Massachusetts, Arizona, Colorado recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 26 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Hendrik
The name Hendrik has its origins in the Germanic languages, deriving from the Old Dutch name Heidrichus or the Old German name Haidarich. These names were composed of the elements "haidaz" meaning "bright" or "kind," and "ric" meaning "ruler" or "power." Hendrik is the Dutch form of the name, while similar versions exist in other Germanic languages, such as Heinrich in German and Henry in English.
The name Hendrik gained popularity during the Middle Ages, particularly in the Netherlands and other regions where Dutch was spoken. It was commonly used among the Dutch aristocracy and ruling classes, with several notable historical figures bearing this name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hendrik can be found in the Frankish Chronicles, which mention a Frankish nobleman named Hendrik who lived in the 7th century. Another early reference is in the medieval Dutch epic poem "Van den vos Reynaerde," where one of the characters is named Hendrik de Kat.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Hendrik. One of the most famous was Hendrik IV, the Holy Roman Emperor who ruled from 1056 to 1106. He played a significant role in the Investiture Controversy, a major conflict between the papacy and the Holy Roman Empire over the appointment of church officials.
Another prominent figure was Hendrik III, Prince of Nassau-Dietz (1612-1675), a Dutch prince and military leader who fought in the Eighty Years' War against Spain. He is remembered for his victories at the Battles of Lens and Valenciennes.
In the field of art, Hendrik Goltzius (1558-1617) was a renowned Dutch printmaker and painter, known for his intricate engravings and contributions to the Renaissance in the Northern Netherlands.
The name also gained prominence in the world of exploration and science. Hendrik Hudson (c. 1565-1611) was an English sea explorer who explored parts of present-day Canada and the northeastern United States, including the Hudson River, which bears his name.
In the realm of philosophy, Hendrik Antoon Lorentz (1853-1928) was a Dutch physicist who made significant contributions to the development of the theory of electromagnetism and the theory of relativity. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1902.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have carried the name Hendrik, a name with a rich cultural heritage and a strong connection to the Dutch and Germanic traditions.
People
Hendrik + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hendrik as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Hendrik: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hendrik?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,282 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hendrik going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 267,359 US residents.
Is Hendrik a common name?
We classify Hendrik as "Rare". It ranks above 91.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,337 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hendrik most popular?
The single biggest year for Hendrik was 2020, when 85 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hendrik is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Hendrik a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hendrik in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.