Find out how popular the first name Henry has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Henry by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Henry is more commonly used as a male name, with approximately 100% of people named Henry being male.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 10,941 male babies and 9 female babies born with the name Henry.

Yes—according to the SSA data, 9 baby girls were named Henry in 2023, despite it being a predominantly male name. We'd love to know why!

The history of the first name Henry

The name Henry has its origins in the Germanic languages. It derives from the Old German name Heimrich, which itself comes from the words heim meaning "home" and rich meaning "power" or "ruler." The name can be interpreted as meaning "ruler of the home" or "the home ruler."

Henry was a popular name among the Germanic peoples in the early Middle Ages. It first appeared in written records in the 8th century AD, with references to individuals such as Henry of Bavaria, a Duke who lived from around 735 to 786.

The name gained greater prominence in the 11th century with Henry I of France, who ruled from 1031 to 1060. He was the first of several French kings named Henry. Other notable historical figures with this name include Henry II of England (1133-1189), who ruled over an empire spanning England and parts of France. He is remembered for his quarrels with Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Henry III of England (1207-1272) reigned during a turbulent period marked by conflicts with his barons over the limits of royal power. Henry IV (1367-1413) was the first monarch of the House of Lancaster and came to power after deposing Richard II in 1399. Henry V (1387-1422) is celebrated for his military victories against the French in the Hundred Years' War, including the famous Battle of Agincourt in 1415.

Other prominent Henrys in history include Henry VIII of England (1491-1547), whose reign saw the English Reformation and the break with the Catholic Church. He was married six times. Henry the Navigator (1394-1460) was a Portuguese prince who sponsored voyages of exploration along the African coast, helping initiate the Age of Discovery.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Henry was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Henry, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!