♂ Name Henry – home ruler

Origin:	Old High German
Meaning:	home ruler
Boy namesBoy names with HNamesNames with H

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Henry is an English short form of Heinrich and means “home ruler.”

Where does the name Henry come from?

The name Henry is an English short form of the German name Heinrich, which is derived from the Saxon Heimerich or the Old German Haganrich.

What does the name Henry mean?

Henry means “home ruler” in Old High German.

Word composition

• Old High German “hagan” = enclosure
• Old High German “heim” = home
• Old High German “rihhi” = powerful, rich, mighty, ruler

Other variants of Henry

Henri is a French variant of Henry. Henry can also be spelled Henrie, although it is an uncommon variant. Other versions of Henry or Heinrich are the Dutch and Low German variant Hendrik, the Italian forms Enrico, Enzio, Enzo, and Arrigo, the Spanish variant Enrique, or the Slavic form Jendrik.

Nicknames for Henry

Popular nicknames for Henry are Harry, Hen, Henny, and Ry.

Middle names for Henry

Popular middle names for Henry are Alexander, August, Bryan, Caleb, Carter, David, Elias, George, Issac, James, John, Joseph, Kyle, Lucas, Matthew, Miles, Nathan, Oliver, Philip, Robert, Theodore, William, and Wyatt.

Famous people named Henry

• Prince Henry Charles Albert David Mountbatten-Windsor (born 1984), known as Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, is fifth in line to the British throne. He married the American actress Meghan Markle in 2018, and they have two children: Archie Harrison and Lilibet Diana.
• King Henry VIII (1491–1547), known as Henry Tudor as well, is best known for his six marriages. He had two wives beheaded. Many TV shows and movies were made about his marriages and his daughters, Queen Mary I and Queen Elizabeth I.
• Henry Ford (1863–1947) is known as the founder of the Ford Motor Company. He was a pioneer in the field of automation. He was also a known writer of antisemitic texts and a supporter of the Nazi regime in Germany.
• Former German-American Republican politician and former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Alfred Kissinger (born 1923) won the Nobel Peace Prize for his peace efforts during the Vietnam War. However, he stands accused of being responsible for several war crimes during that time.
• British actor Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill (born 1983) is mostly known for his roles as Superman, Geralt of Rivia in “The Witcher,” and Sherlock Holmes. He has a Japanese Akita, whom he named after Superman’s birth name, Kal-El. He rarely posts about his relationship with his girlfriend Natalie Viscuso on social media.
• The former Malaysian TV host Henry Golding (born 1987) rose to fame after starring in the movie “Crazy Rich Asians.” Since 2016, he has been married to Liv Lo. In 2021, their daughter Lyla Golding was born.

Fictional characters named Henry

• Henry Hart, played by Jace Norman, is the protagonist in the Nickelodeon show “Henry Danger” (2014–2020).
• In seasons eight and nine of “Supernatural,” Henry Winchester, played by Gil McKinney, the grandfather of protagonists Dean and Sam Winchester, is introduced. He was a member of the “Men of Letters,” a secret organization fighting the supernatural.
• In Stephen King’s “It,” Henry Bowers is a secondary antagonist and frightens the teenagers in Derry to death.

Pronunciation of Henry

Variants

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Author: Juliane Schmetzer

Last updated: 3/30/2026