Given name & surname
Hattie
“ruler of the house”
Hattie is a variant of Henrietta. In German use, Henrietta carries the interpretation “ruler of the house.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Hattie is a variant of Henrietta. In German use, Henrietta carries the interpretation “ruler of the house.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Hattie connects to the Henry name family through Henrietta. Henry is an English form of a Continental Germanic name introduced to Britain by the Normans.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English use, Hattie is used as an affectionate form of Harriet. Hattie connects to the Henry name family through Henrietta. The shared background comes through Henry: Henry’s Germanic elements are haim and ric. In England, Henry became the standard everyday form over Harry in the seventeenth century, influenced by Latin Henricus and French Henri.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Hattie connects to the Henry name family through Henrietta. The history of Henry gives this family its wider story. Henry was borne by eight kings of England, and related forms were used by rulers elsewhere in Europe. That repeated royal use helped give the name a lasting place in several naming traditions.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Hattie through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 105,691
- 494 boys · 105,197 girls
- Most popular year
- 1918
- 2,006 babies
- 2025
- 923
- #334 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +20%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 923 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 334 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 20.4% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 1,999 in 1918. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (99). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 20,079 as a first name in 2020; 122 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Hattie’s family of names
In English usage, Hattie is a diminutive of Harriet. Hattie has a related form in Henrietta. Hattie is an affectionate form of Harriet.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Hattie
- Hattie McDanielAmerican actress (1893-1952)
- Hattie CarawayUnited States Senator from Arkansas and first woman elected to the U.S. Senate, first woman to preside over the senate, first woman to chair a senate committee, and first woman to preside over a senate hearing (1878–1950)
- Hattie JacquesEnglish comedy actress of stage, radio and screen (1922-1980)
- Hattie MorahanBritish actressborn 1978
- Hattie WinstonAmerican actressborn 1945
- Hattie Carnegiefashion designer (1889-1956)1886–1956
- Hattie GossettAmerican writerborn 1942
- Hattie JohnsonAmerican sport shooterborn 1981
- Hattie KragtenCanadian actressborn 2007
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Hattie, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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