# Henry (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/henry/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A French and English surname originating as a patronymic.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | French |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 170,964 |
| US rank (2010) | 149 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 1,806 people |
| Change since 2000 | +5.9% (161,392 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈhɛn.ɹi/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Henri, Henrie, Henery, Hendry |

## Etymology

From Middle English Henry, from Old French (and Anglo-Norman) Henri, from Frankish *Haimrik, from Proto-Germanic *Haimarīks. Cognate with German Heinrich, Dutch Hendrik, Estonian Hendrik, and Old Norse Heimríkr (Danish Henrik).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Henry in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 61% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 31% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.8% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.8% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.9% |
| Two or more races | 2.3% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Henry in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, the Kingdom of Great Britain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Belgium.

## People named Henry

- Joseph Henry, American scientist and the 1st Secretary of the Smithsonian (1797-1878)
- Patrick Henry, American Founding Father, orator and politician (1736 – 1799)
- Brian Tyree Henry, American actor
- Mike Henry, American voice actor and director (born 1965)
- William Henry, British chemist who formulated the law on the solubility of gases into liquids
- Gregg Henry, American actor
- Justin Henry, American actor
- Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh, British duke and field marshal (1743-1805)
- Jodie Henry, Australian swimmer, Olympic gold medallist, world champion, former world record-holder
- Brad Henry, American politician
- Gloria Henry, American actress (1923-2021)
- John W. Henry, American businessman

and 38 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Heiner, Henrie, Henery, Hammer, Hamer, Homer, Hanner, Hamner, Hiner, Hummer, Hemmer, Honore.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.