Henry

“Ruler of the home” — Germanic (Old High German Heimrih: heim 'home' + -rih 'ruler') origin

Boy's name · #5 in the US (2025) · Comeback

Henry was #8 in 1881, slipped to #145 by 1994, and reached #5 in 2025 — its highest rank ever. About 769,000 boys have carried it since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records. Henry's short forms are Harry, Hal, and Hank. About 730 boys a year are given Hank as their full name. Popular twin pairings with Henry include William for a boy, and Charlotte for a girl.

Around the world: #3 in Australia (VIC) (2025) · #4 in Australia (QLD) (2025) · #6 in Australia (NSW) (2025) · #10 in Germany (2025) · #12 in Canada (2024).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 51 states, the #1 boy's name in 2 of them. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Henrys

Henry Ford — American business magnate (1863–1947)
Henry Kissinger — American politician and diplomat and geopolitical advisor, served as U.S. Secretary of State from 1973 to 1977 (1923–2023)
Henry David Thoreau — American essayist, poet, and philosopher (1817–1862)
Henry VIII of England — King of England from 1509 to 1547 (1491–1547)
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow — American poet and educator (1807–1882)

In stories & tradition

Henry (Indiana Jones) — Raiders of the Lost Ark · Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Henry (Beast) — Uncanny X-Men · The Marvel Super Heroes
Henry (Barry Allen) — Showcase · Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

What Henrys become

Among 14,444 notable people named Henry:

Military figures appear 3.22× more often than among typical names — e.g. Henry H. Arnold, American general officer holding the ranks of General of the Army and General of the Air Force (1886-1950).

Similar names: Oliver · Enzo · Everett · Wesley · Emmett · Wyatt

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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