Given name & surname
Henning
“the ruler of the house”·“home”·“power”
Henning is a form of Henry. Henry combines “home” with “power” or “ruler,” giving the sense “ruler of the home.” In Low German use, Henning is an affectionate form of John. The traditional meaning is “God is gracious.” It belongs to the Hebrew name Johanan, which predates the shorter English form.
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Scandinavian use, Henning carries the interpretation “the ruler of the house.” Henning is a form of Henry. Henry combines “home” with “power” or “ruler,” giving the sense “ruler of the home.” In Low German use, Henning is an affectionate form of John. The traditional meaning is “God is gracious.” It belongs to the Hebrew name Johanan, which predates the shorter English form.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Scandinavian.
How it developed
Henning is used as a form of Henry. Henning is a form of Henry. 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. In Low German use, Henning is an affectionate form of John. The shared background comes through John: Greek Iōannēs represents a contracted form of Johanan; Latin used Johannes, and English developed John. The different language forms preserve the name family without all sharing the same spelling or pronunciation.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1913. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Henning is a form of Henry. 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. In Low German use, Henning is an affectionate form of John. The history of John gives this family its wider story. John the Baptist is associated with baptism in the River Jordan, while John the Apostle is the fisherman and brother of James. Later saints, popes and rulers extended the name’s reach. Christian tradition also identifies the apostle with John the Evangelist, although that identification is debated.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Henning through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 302
- 302 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2014
- 18 babies
- 2025
- 7
- #10,057 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +2%
- Steady
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 7 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 10,057 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 2.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 18 in 2014. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 492 as a first name in 2020; 15,657 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.
Henning’s family of names
Henning is an affectionate form of John. In Norwegian usage, Henning has a feminine form in Henny. Henning has a related form in Henry.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Henning has relatives in 4 languages. Lines run from its Old Norse roots to each of them.
6 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 13
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Henryfull form
- Johnfull form
- Henrikfull form
- Johannesfull form · Danish
- Henningervariant · German
- Hemyngvariant
- Hemmyngvariant
- Hemingvariant
Show 5 moreShow fewer
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 4
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Henning
- Henning MankellSwedish writer, human rights activist and dramatist (1948–2015)
- Henning von TresckowGerman general and member of the resistance of 20 July 1944 (1901-1944)
- Henning BergNorwegian association football playerborn 1969
- Henning JensenDanish footballer (1949-2017)
- Henning Fritzhandball playerborn 1974
- Henning SolbergWorld Rally Championship driverborn 1973
- Henning Jakob Henrik LundGreenlandic Lutheran pastor, poet, painter, and author of Greenland's national anthem (1875-1948)
- Henning CarlsenDanish film director, producer, screenwriter and film editor (1927-2014)
- Henning EnoksenDanish footballer and coach (1935-2016)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Henning, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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