Henry (given Name)

Henry (given Name)

Henry is an English male given name and a surname, from the Old French Henry (modern Henri), derived itself from the Germanic name Haimric (German Heinrich), which is a compound of the word elements haim, meaning "home" and ric, meaning "power, ruler". Harry, its English short form, was considered the "spoken form" of Henry in medieval England. Most English kings named Henry were called Harry. At one time the name was so popular for English men that the phrase "Tom, Dick, and Harry" was used to refer to everyone. The common English feminine forms of the name are Harriet and Henrietta.

Henry has been a consistently popular name in English-speaking countries for centuries. It was among the top 100 most popular names used for boys born in the United States, England and Wales, and in Australia in 2007. It was the 46th most common name for boys and men in the United States in the 1990 census. Harry, its short form, was the fifth most popular name for boys in England and Wales in 2007 and among the top 50 names in Ireland, Scotland and Northern Ireland in recent years. Harry was ranked as the 578th most popular name in the United States in 2007.