Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 2025

Henry

Meaning Haimarīks Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #5 Trend ↑ Rising 11%

Henry is a masculine given name derived from Old French Henri or Henry, which is derived from the Old Frankish name Heimeric, from Common Germanic “Haimarīks”.

Rank 2025
#5
among boys · ↑1 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
12,040
named Henry · +4% vs 2024
How common
1 in 142
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2025
12,040 babies
All-time total
773,564
#45 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Henry popularity over time

773,564 babies have been named Henry since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
6.2512.518.752518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 150 24,139 24,289 2,429 – #8
1890s 187 21,664 21,851 2,185 -10% #9
1900s 198 21,772 21,970 2,197 +1% #10
1910s 600 79,667 80,267 8,027 +265% #10
1920s 922 104,552 105,474 10,547 +31% #17
1930s 643 70,419 71,062 7,106 -33% #22
1940s 501 72,488 72,989 7,299 +3% #28
1950s 361 62,230 62,591 6,259 -14% #47
1960s 286 39,134 39,420 3,942 -37% #84
1970s 220 23,511 23,731 2,373 -40% #104
1980s 189 20,728 20,917 2,092 -12% #126
1990s 96 25,249 25,345 2,535 +21% #129
2000s 81 42,760 42,841 4,284 +69% #71
2010s 102 92,585 92,687 9,269 +116% #13
2020s (to 2025) 83 68,047 68,130 11,355 +23% #5

Where Henry is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 12,251 7.17 #5
2027 12,452 7.29 #5
2028 12,624 7.39 #5
2029 12,773 7.48 #5
2030 12,901 7.55 #5

Where Henry is most popular

Boys named Henry per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 6.63 per 1,000. Strongest in Vermont, District of Columbia, and Wyoming.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Henry born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Vermont 156 24.8 +275%
District of Columbia 293 19.8 +199%
Wyoming 102 17.6 +166%
New Hampshire 387 17.4 +163%
Maine 320 16.5 +149%
South Dakota 262 14.1 +112%
North Dakota 233 13.6 +106%
Alaska 162 13.6 +105%
Minnesota 1,652 13.5 +103%
Rhode Island 219 13.4 +103%
Nebraska 568 13.1 +97%
Wisconsin 1,537 13.0 +96%
Idaho 528 12.9 +95%
Montana 225 12.8 +92%
Iowa 865 12.5 +89%
Massachusetts 1,718 12.5 +88%
Oregon 871 11.5 +73%
Missouri 1,582 11.4 +72%
Utah 1,059 11.1 +67%
Kansas 742 10.8 +63%
Michigan 2,088 10.2 +54%
Colorado 1,298 10.1 +52%
Washington 1,637 10.0 +51%
Connecticut 677 10.0 +51%
Ohio 2,527 9.54 +44%
Indiana 1,507 9.40 +42%
Virginia 1,781 9.39 +42%
Illinois 2,336 9.14 +38%
Tennessee 1,632 9.04 +36%
South Carolina 918 8.88 +34%
Alabama 942 8.62 +30%
Kentucky 857 8.54 +29%
Pennsylvania 2,261 8.52 +28%
North Carolina 2,117 8.29 +25%
Arkansas 517 8.17 +23%
Delaware 115 7.58 +14%
Maryland 893 7.49 +13%
Oklahoma 659 7.45 +12%
Hawaii 111 7.15 +8%
West Virginia 229 7.01 +6%
Georgia 1,740 6.87 ≈ national
Mississippi 374 6.58 ≈ national
New York 2,810 6.49 ≈ national
Louisiana 613 5.99 -10%
Arizona 945 5.78 -13%
New Jersey 1,114 5.53 -17%
New Mexico 178 5.40 -19%
Nevada 278 4.88 -26%
Florida 2,240 4.73 -29%
California 4,275 4.68 -29%
Texas 4,104 4.66 -30%

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Henry

Henry is a top-10 name for boys in the United States, ranked #5 in 2025 with 12,020 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 773,564 American babies have been named Henry. Its peak came in 2025, when 12,040 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Henry stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Henry?

The median living Henry is about 24 years old; half are between 8 and 64. An estimated 396 thousand people named Henry are alive in the United States today.

median 24 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Henry year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 20 #5,993 12,020 #5
2024 14 #7,736 11,596 #6
2023 9 #10,633 10,996 #8
2022 12 #8,731 11,272 #7
2021 15 #7,403 11,370 #9
2020 13 #8,139 10,793 #9
2019 9 #10,800 10,768 #13
2018 16 #7,220 10,714 #16
2017 11 #9,556 10,482 #19
2016 12 #9,088 10,390 #22
2015 10 #10,405 10,186 #29
2014 10 #10,443 9,442 #33
2013 9 #11,350 8,885 #37
2012 10 #10,727 8,075 #44
2011 7 #13,885 7,235 #57
2010 8 #12,728 6,408 #67
2009 8 #12,882 5,899 #71
2008 9 #11,957 5,788 #78
2007 5 #18,652 5,126 #90
2006 7 #14,120 4,677 #95
2005 14 #8,051 4,186 #102
2004 17 #6,897 3,928 #109
2003 7 #12,912 3,484 #115
2002 – – 3,339 #115
2001 8 #11,388 3,206 #120
2000 6 #13,788 3,127 #126
1995 5 #14,239 2,544 #136
1990 19 #4,930 2,253 #138
1985 15 #4,930 2,068 #137
1980 20 #3,894 2,071 #135
1975 25 #2,903 2,090 #124
1970 25 #2,807 3,127 #104
1965 24 #2,492 3,801 #94
1960 39 #1,820 4,968 #84
1955 36 #1,750 6,187 #61
1950 34 #1,612 6,963 #47
1945 47 #1,147 6,606 #37
1940 55 #966 6,822 #31
1935 62 #877 6,856 #27
1930 96 #708 8,594 #22
1925 110 #706 10,618 #18
1920 66 #897 11,305 #17
1915 72 #779 10,138 #14
1910 28 #818 2,899 #10
1905 19 #858 2,126 #11
1900 25 #735 2,606 #10
1895 15 #838 2,221 #9
1890 19 #608 2,349 #9
1885 19 #492 2,406 #8
1880 11 #530 2,444 #9

Famous people named Henry

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Henry VII of England Henry VII of England King of England from 1485 to 1509 1457–1509 · Medieval
  2. 2 Henry Kissinger Henry Kissinger American diplomat and politician (1923–2023) Contemporary
  3. 3 Henry V of England Henry V of England King of England from 1413 to 1422 1386–1422 · Medieval
  4. 4 Henry VI of England Henry VI of England King of England (1422–61, 1470–71) 1421–1471 · Medieval
  5. 5 Henry II of England Henry II of England King of England from 1154 to 1189 1133–1189 · Medieval
  6. 6 Henry Fonda Henry Fonda American actor (1905–1982) Contemporary
  7. 7 Henry Ford Henry Ford American business magnate (1863–1947) 19th century
  8. 8 Henry IV of England Henry IV of England King of England from 1399 to 1413 1367–1413 · Medieval
  9. 9 Henry I of England Henry I of England King of England from 1100 to 1135 1068–1135 · Medieval
  10. 10 Henry III of England Henry III of England King of England from 1216 to 1272 1207–1272 · Medieval
  11. 11 Henry IV of France Henry IV of France King of France from 1589 to 1610 1553–1610 · 16th century
  12. 12 Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau American philosopher (1817–1862) 19th century
  13. 13 Henry II of France Henry II of France King of France from 1547 to 1559 1519–1559 · 16th century
  14. 14 Henry III of France Henry III of France King of France from 1574 to 1589 1551–1589 · 16th century
  15. 15 Henry VIII of England Henry VIII of England King of England from 1509 to 1547 1491–1547 · Medieval
  16. 16 Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley King consort of Scotland from 1565 to 1567 1545–1567 · 16th century
  17. 17 Henry Miller Henry Miller American novelist (1891–1980) 19th century
  18. 18 Henry Morgan Henry Morgan Welsh privateer, politician in Jamaica (1635–1688) 17th century
  19. 19 Henry I of France Henry I of France King of the Franks from 1031 to 1060 1008–1060 · Medieval
  20. 20 Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 to 1105 1050–1106 · Medieval

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Henry, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Henry?

The median living Henry is about 24 years old. Half of all living Henrys are between 8 and 64 years old.

How many people named Henry are alive today?

An estimated 396 thousand people named Henry are alive in the United States, based on 773,564 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Henry mean?

Henry is a masculine given name derived from Old French Henri or Henry, which is derived from the Old Frankish name Heimeric, from Common Germanic “Haimarīks”.

How popular is the name Henry in 2025?

Henry ranked #5 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 12,020 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Henry?

773,564 babies have been named Henry in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Henry most popular?

Henry peaked in 2025, when 12,040 newborns received the name.

Is Henry a boy or girl name?

Henry is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Henry rising or falling?

Henry is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Henry become more popular?

Henry is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 12,901 boys named Henry in 2030, which would rank around #5. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Henry?

Well-known people named Henry include Henry VII of England (politician), Henry Kissinger (politician), Henry V of England (politician).

Names like Henry

Names that sound and feel close to Henry: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Henry with similar names → More names starting with H →