Henlee
A variant spelling of the masculine name Henry, of German origin meaning "estate ruler".
Name Census estimates that about 530 living Americans carry the first name Henlee. It is a predominantly female name (97.4% of registrations). The average person named Henlee today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Henlee births was 2015 (53 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Henlee. 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.
People living today
530
~ 1 in 646,706 Americans
Peak year
2015
53 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2022 SSA rank
#4,685
Tracked since 2007
Gender
Gender distribution for Henlee
Henlee leans heavily female at 97.4% of total registrations, but 14 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Henlee as a male name
- Ranked #11,370 in 2022
- 6 male births in 2022
- Peak: 2021 (8 births)
Henlee as a female name
- Ranked #4,685 in 2024
- 29 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2015 (53 births)
Popularity
Henlee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Henlee from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 305 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Henlee remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Henlee 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 Henlee during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Henlees live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, Georgia, Oklahoma recorded the most babies named Henlee, while Oklahoma, Georgia, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 11 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Henlee
The name Henlee has its origins traced back to the ancient Germanic tribes of Northern Europe during the early medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old Germanic words "hein" meaning "home" and "leof" meaning "dear" or "beloved". The name essentially translates to "dear home" or "beloved homestead".
The earliest recorded use of the name Henlee dates back to the 8th century, where it appears in ancient Anglo-Saxon records and chronicles. It was a popular name among the nobility and ruling classes of the time, often given to sons of prominent families.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Henlee was a Frankish nobleman and warrior who lived in the late 8th century. He was a loyal supporter of Charlemagne, the King of the Franks, and played a significant role in the expansion of the Carolingian Empire.
In the 11th century, a Henlee was mentioned in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This Henlee was a landowner in the county of Oxfordshire.
During the Middle Ages, the name Henlee was particularly common in the regions of present-day Germany, the Netherlands, and parts of England. It was a respected name often associated with nobility and landowners.
In the 14th century, a renowned scholar and theologian named Henlee of Erfurt lived in the Holy Roman Empire. He was known for his contributions to the field of philosophy and his advocacy for educational reforms.
Another notable figure was Henlee of Cologne, a 16th-century artist and engraver who was highly regarded for his intricate woodcut prints depicting religious scenes and landscapes.
In the 17th century, a Dutch explorer named Henlee van der Decken led several expeditions to the East Indies and is credited with the discovery of several islands in the Indian Ocean.
While the name Henlee has waxed and waned in popularity over the centuries, it has maintained a strong presence in various regions of Europe, particularly in areas with Germanic cultural influences.
People
Henlee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Henlee 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
Henlee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Henlee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 530 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Henlee 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 646,706 US residents.
Is Henlee a common name?
We classify Henlee as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 534 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Henlee most popular?
The single biggest year for Henlee was 2015, when 53 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Henlee is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Henlee a female name?
Yes, 97.4% of people registered as Henlee in the SSA data are female. 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.