How common is the surname Henry?

170,964 people in the United States had the surname Henry in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,806 Americans. It ranked 149th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Henry?

Joseph Henry, American scientist and the 1st Secretary of the Smithsonian (1797-1878), followed by Patrick Henry.

Where is the surname Henry most common?

Wikidata records people named Henry in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom and 3 other countries.

How do you pronounce Henry?

Henry is /ˈhɛn.ɹi/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Henry getting more or less common?

More common. 161,392 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 170,964 in 2010, up 5.9%.

What are other spellings of Henry?

Henri, Henrie, Henery and Hendry.

Is Henry also a first name?

Yes. Henry is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Henry

A French patronymic surname, carried by 170,964 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈhɛn.ɹi/ 2 syllables Soundex H560 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Henry is more common than 99.9% of them.

Origin

French origin

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).

Henry is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

One of 791 French surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 170,964 people named Henry in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 1,806 Americans. That is up 5.9% since 2000, when the Census counted 161,392.

#149

rank among US surnames

170,964

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+5.9%

change since 2000 (was #142)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#140	Owens	182,719	1,690
#141	Harrison	181,091	1,705
#142	Fernandez	180,842	1,707
#143	McDonald	180,497	1,711
#144	Woods	177,425	1,740
#145	Washington	177,386	1,741
#146	Kennedy	176,865	1,746

Who is named Henry

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

61% of people named Henry identified as white (not Hispanic), 31% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.8% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

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

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Henrys

50 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

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, born 1982
Mike Henry
American voice actor and director (born 1965)
William Henry
British chemist who formulated the law on the solubility of gases into liquids, 1774–1836
Gregg Henry
American actor, born 1952
Justin Henry
American actor, born 1971
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, born 1983
Brad Henry
American politician, born 1963
Gloria Henry
American actress (1923-2021)
John W. Henry
American businessman, born 1949

Notable Henrys come mostly from the United States (40), Australia (3) and the United Kingdom (2).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Surnames that sound like Henry

Henry has the Soundex code H560, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code H560.

Other French surnames

All 791 French surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Henry come from?: 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).
How common is the surname Henry?: 170,964 people in the United States had the surname Henry in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,806 Americans. It ranked 149th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Henry?: In the 2010 Census, 61% of people named Henry identified as white (not Hispanic), and 31% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Henry?: Joseph Henry, American scientist and the 1st Secretary of the Smithsonian (1797-1878), followed by Patrick Henry.
Where is the surname Henry most common?: Wikidata records people named Henry in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom and 3 other countries.
How do you pronounce Henry?: Henry is /ˈhɛn.ɹi/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Henry?: Henry is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Henry getting more or less common?: More common. 161,392 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 170,964 in 2010, up 5.9%.
What are other spellings of Henry?: Henri, Henrie, Henery and Hendry.
Is Henry also a first name?: Yes. Henry is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.