Name of the Week

Henry was a solid Norman favourite
which retained its heights for a millennia.
Can refined and friendly Henry ever make it back into the top 10?  

 

Origin:

Henry originates from the Old Germanic name Heimerich, composed of the elements heim "home" and rīhhi "ruler". It was Latinised as Henricus, from which came the French Henri which was brought to Britain by the Normans and later Anglicised as Henry.

Usage:

Henry's use in Britain dates from the time of the Norman Conquest. Five Henrys are listed in the Domesday Book of 1086, and William the Conqueror even named one of his sons Henry (who later became Henry I). The name was consistently popular through the Middle Ages; Redmond's popularity ranking, for example, puts Henry in the high position of #6 in England from 1377-81.  The sheer number of surnames derived from Henry attest to the name's popularity. Variants include Henry, Henryson, Harris, Harrison, Herries, Henrie, Henderson, Halkin, Hawke, Hawkins, Penry, Parry and MacEanruig. Though it later became considered a pet-form of the Henry, Harry was traditionally its vernacular form in English. In other words, though Henry was written, "Harry" or "Herry" was the common pronunciation. The great popularity of Harris and Harrison, in particular, is strong evidence that "Harry," not "Henry," was the Middle English pronunciation of Henry.*  The medieval choice of pet-form for Henry was Hal, Hann or Henn, with Halkin, Hankin and Henriot as diminutives.  From the 12th to the 16th century, England had eight kings to bear the name Henry, making it the most successful English regnal name to date. Smith Bannister's popularity rankings show how little change the name's general popularity saw during this period: 1538-49: #7; 1550-9: #6; 1560-9: #6; 1570-9: #6; 1580-9: #7; 1590-9: #7; 1600-9: #8; 1610-9: #7; 1620-9: #9; 1630-9: #8; 1640-9: #9; 1650-9: #11; 1660-9: #9; 1670-9: #11; 1680-9: #11; 1690-1700: #11.  Indeed, the name's popularity fluctuated very little from the 11th to the early 20th century. In 1880, Henry ranked #8 in England and Wales with 14,761 births. It fell slightly to #10 (12,332 births) in 1890 and #13 (11,059 births) in 1900. Henry, like so many other perennial favourite boys' names — such as James, William, Thomas, George — began to wane in the 1950s, reaching its lowest point in the 1970s in England and Wales. Then, in 1984, the Prince and Princess of Wales named their second son Prince Henry Charles Albert David "Harry". By 1994, no doubt, in part, thanks to this royal boost, Henry was back in the Top 100. It has been steadily rising since.  1904: #17 1914: #16 1924: #24 1934: #45 1944: #63 1954: #83 1964: below #100 1974: below #100 1984: below #100 1994: #74  2004: #48 2008: #38  Since 2008, Henry has progressively risen in popularity, ranking #34 (2239 births) in 2010, #28 (2625 births) in 2011 and #24 (2928 births) in 2012.  In Scotland, Henry ranked #15 in 1900 and #32 in 1950, though it had fallen out of the Top 100 by 1975 and has not returned since. It is slowly beginning to gain more popularity in the last decade. In 2005 Henry ranked #212 (15 births) in 2005, #192 (24 births) in 2007, #136 (39 births) in 2009, #158 (35 births) in 2011 and #132 (47 births) in 2012.

Famous Bearers:

History:  * Henry the Fowler (876–936), Duke of Saxony from 912 and the King of Germany from 919 until his death. * Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), "Saint Henry," Emperor and Catholic saint. * Henry, Bishop of Uppsala (d.1150), English clergyman and martyr in Finland. Also known as Saint Henry. * Henry the Navigator (1394–1460), Portuguese prince and renowned explorer. * Henry Purcell (1659–95), English composer. * Henry Fielding (1707–1754), English novelist and dramatist. * Henry James (1843–1916), American author. * Henry Ford (1863–1947), American industrialist.  Royalty: * Eight kings of England. * Six Holy Roman emperors. * Five kings of France.  * Four kings of Castile.   Contemporary: * Henry Fonda (1905–82), American actor. * Prince Henry "Harry" of Wales (b.1984), forth in line to the British throne. * Henry Cavill (b. 1983), British actor. * Henry Holland (b.1983), British fashion designer.

Variants:

Henri (French), Enrico(Italian), Enrique (Spanish), Henrik (Scandinavian), Heinrich (German), Hendrik (Dutch), Jindřich (Czech), Anraí, Einrí (Irish), Eanraig (Scottish), Endika (Basque), Enric (Catalan)

Pronunciation:

HEN-ree [key]

Possible diminutives:

Harry, Hal, Hank, Herry

Sibling Names:

Beatrice   Evelyn     Annabel     Cecily    Elizabeth     Alexandra   Edward     Robert     William    Oliver     Rufus    Charles

Name Lists:

Slim Softies   Medieval Favourites   Terrifically Tudor   Gorgeously Georgian   British Royalty   European Royalty   Golden Age Hollywood   Shakespearean Names   Dickensian Names   Names from Jane Austen   Names from the Brontes   Names from Tennyson

 

If you like Henry you may also like:   Monty, George, Miles, Felix, Hugo, Oscar, Christian, Louis, Edmund, Leon

 

Thanks to JemmyLou and Katie for requesting Henry.