Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Henry

Say it HEN-ree 2 syllables

Old French · “home + king”

Loved across three Canadian provinces, Cologne, and Australia. Common across the UK, Sweden, Austria, and 10 more places. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 4 more places.

1 in 118 boys born in England and Wales in 2025. Number 13 there.

Henry in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 8, common in 15, rare in 7.
Henry in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales13 (down)20252,2951 in 118112020
Scotland88 (up)2025601 in 3271012020
Northern Ireland24 (up)2025641 in 129542020
Ireland76 (up)2025781 in 304882020
North America
Ontario (province)6 (up)2024488about 1 in 123152019
Quebec (province)67 (up)2025102about 1 in 2851092020
British Columbia (province)10 (up)2023118about 1 in 110122018
Nova Scotia (province)1 (up)20254172020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)6 (up)202537282020
Victoria (state)3 (up)202539882020
Queensland (state)4 (up)202532252020
South Australia (state)3 (down)202510822020
New Zealand14 (up)2025137302020
Western Europe
France486 (up)2025901 in 3,3635982020
Netherlands337 (up)202546about 1 in 1,4466292020
Central Europe
Austria60 (up)20251311 in 291862020
Switzerland42 (up)20251211 in 298612020
Berlin (city)20 (up)202395about 1 in 163292018
Munich (city)48 (down)202526about 1 in 168452020
Cologne (city)9 (up)202356about 1 in 114142018
Bonn (city)33 (down)202515about 1 in 211142020
Leipzig (city)34 (down)202513about 1 in 221172020
Rostock (city)11 (down)20259about 1 in 11662020
Nordic countries
Norway50 (up)20251381 in 169582020
Sweden28 (up)2025321about 1 in 134322020
DenmarkNot in the published top 502025Not listed2020
FinlandNot in the published top 502025No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
SpainNot in the published top 1002024Not listed2019
Catalonia (region)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Italy513 (new in the list)2024201 in 9,468Not listed2019
Central and Eastern Europe
Poland239 (down)2025241 in 5,2672342020
HungaryNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
SloveniaRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
EstoniaNot in the published top 272025Not listed2020
Moscow (city)Not in the published top 612025Not listed2020
CroatiaNot in the published top 502025No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
IsraelRare: below the complete list2024Not listed2019
Latin America
ArgentinaNot in the published top 202024Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

Two old Germanic words sit inside Henry: one meaning "home" and one meaning "king". The name came to English through the Old French Henri, from the Frankish Haimrik, and it has been popular in England since the Middle Ages, when it was carried by a line of English kings. German Heinrich and Dutch Hendrik are its close cousins.

2 more paragraphs

HEN-ree is two brisk syllables. Harry, Hal and Hank are the traditional pet forms, and Henri and Enrique are its French and Spanish versions.

Henry is enjoying a strong revival. It is a top-5 name in Victoria, South Australia and Queensland, and it is rising in more places than it is falling. In Canada it reached its highest point in 2023, a sign that a long-established name has found a new generation of parents.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
HEN-ree · 2 syllables · Stress on beat 1 of 2.
Meaning
“home + king”
Origin
Old French and Germanic
Related names
Harry, Henri, Eric, Henryk, Harald, Hinrik, Eirik, Eryk, Harris, Andrin, Henrik, Erik, Hal, Hank, Henrie, Enrique, Hendrik, Henrry, Heinz, Henrih, Henrich, Enric, Harold, Hynek
Where Henry comes from (Wiktionary)

From Middle English Henry, from Old French Henri, from Frankish *Haimrik, from Proto-Germanic *Haimariks, a compound of *haimaz "home" and *riks "king". Cognate with German Heinrich and Dutch Hendrik. Popular in England since the Middle Ages.

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for Henry. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Henry over time

Rising in 7 of the 26 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 3. Peak in Ontario and British Columbia: 2023.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Henry in England and Wales: #58 in 1996, a peak of #10 in 2021, and #13 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #58, 1,135 boys1997: #58, 1,241 boys1998: #56, 1,244 boys1999: #51, 1,359 boys2000: #52, 1,322 boys2001: #53, 1,196 boys2002: #51, 1,242 boys2003: #53, 1,159 boys2004: #48, 1,469 boys2005: #44, 1,595 boys2006: #39, 1,798 boys2007: #35, 1,867 boys2008: #38, 2,003 boys2009: #37, 2,143 boys2010: #34, 2,239 boys2011: #28, 2,625 boys2012: #24, 2,928 boys2013: #18, 3,248 boys2014: #15, 3,572 boys2015: #13, 3,581 boys2016: #15, 3,527 boys2017: #13, 3,246 boys2018: #13, 3,172 boys2019: #12, 3,012 boys2020: #11, 2,868 boys2021: #10, 2,912 boys2022: #13, 2,624 boys2023: #10, 2,490 boys2024: #14, 2,360 boys2025: #13, 2,295 boys#58 in 1996peak #10, 2021#13in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
1996581,135
1997581,241
1998561,244
1999511,359
2000521,322
2001531,196
2002511,242
2003531,159
2004481,469
2005441,595
2006391,798
2007351,867
2008382,003
2009372,143
2010342,239
2011282,625
2012242,928
2013183,248
2014153,572
2015133,581
2016153,527
2017133,246
2018133,172
2019123,012
2020112,868
2021102,912
2022132,624
2023102,490
2024142,360
2025132,295

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in Ontario and British Columbia

Half of the boys named Henry in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 1994. Peak: 2023, about 816 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 617.4 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 502.2 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 393.3 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 300.2 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 198.2 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 237 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 259.3 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 179.5 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 140.6 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 94.1 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 68.3 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 64.2 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 71.5 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 85.3 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 107.2 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 136.8 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 225.2 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 464.4 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 707.7 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 776.3 per 100,000 boys20202020-2024: about 1 in 129 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–1929617.4
1930–1934502.2
1935–1939393.3
1940–1944300.2
1945–1949198.2
1950–1954237
1955–1959259.3
1960–1964179.5
1965–1969140.6
1970–197494.1
1975–197968.3
1980–198464.2
1985–198971.5
1990–199485.3
1995–1999107.2
2000–2004136.8
2005–2009225.2
2010–2014464.4
2015–2019707.7
2020–2024776.3

Source: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (OGL-Ontario); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (OGL-BC). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for Henry

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with Henry, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 67, Northern Ireland

  2. 1 in 112, Northern Ireland

  3. 1 in 224, Northern Ireland

  4. 1 in 130, Scotland

  5. 1 in 354, England and Wales

  6. 1 in 136, Northern Ireland

  7. 1 in 290, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 69, Austria

  9. 1 in 250, Ireland

  10. 1 in 85, England and Wales

All 40 brother names for Henry

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against Henry's 2 syllables and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 50, Ireland

  2. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

  3. 1 in 103, England and Wales

  4. 1 in 62, Poland

  5. 1 in 86, England and Wales

  6. 1 in 88, England and Wales

  7. 1 in 137, Scotland

  8. 1 in 224, Northern Ireland

Full-name check

Henry Jack

Syllables 2-1Initials H.J.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Henry

Sisters for Henry: Alice, Ava, Rose, and 5 more
  1. AliceRose and fell with Henry · Same generation as Henry
  2. AvaRose and fell with Henry · As common as Henry
  3. RoseRose and fell with Henry · Germanic, like Henry
  4. EmilyRose and fell with Henry · Same generation as Henry
  5. GraceRose and fell with Henry · As common as Henry
  6. MatildaRose and fell with Henry · Germanic, like Henry
  7. CharlotteRose and fell with Henry · Same generation as Henry
  8. HeidiRose and fell with Henry · Germanic, like Henry · Same initial as Henry

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with Henry

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like Henry's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 11 more places.

  2. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 13 more places.

  3. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 20 more places.

  4. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 14 more places.

  5. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 9 more places.

  6. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 13 more places.

  7. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 16 more places.

  8. Common across France, England and Wales, three Canadian provinces, and 8 more places.

Famous people named Henry

Henry Ford, Henry David Thoreau, and 6 more

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about Henry

How popular is Henry in Victoria?

Henry ranked #3 in Victoria in 2025, given to 398 boys.

Is Henry rising in popularity?

In some places: it is rising in more of them than it is falling. Rising in 7 of the 26 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 3. Rising in: New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Quebec, and 2 other regions.

What does Henry mean?

Henry means “home + king”, according to Wiktionary.

How many syllables does Henry have?

Henry has 2 syllables: HEN-ree.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

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Kept names collect here.

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