Meaning & History

"home ruler"

From the Germanic namemeaning, composed of the elements "home" and"ruler". It was later commonly spelled, with the spelling altered due to the influence of other Germanic names like, in which the first element is"enclosure".

was popular among continental royalty, being the name of seven German kings, starting with the 10th-century Henry I the Fowler, and four French kings. In France it was usually renderedfrom the Latin form

The Normans introduced the French form to England, and it was subsequently used by eight kings, ending with the infamous Henry VIII in the 16th century. During the later Middle Ages it was fairly popular, and was generally rendered asorin English pronunciation. Notable bearers include arctic naval explorer Henry Hudson (1570-1611), British novelist Henry James (1843-1916), American automobile manufacturer Henry Ford (1863-1947), and American actor Henry Fonda (1905-1982).