Given name & surname
Henny
“the ruler of the house”·“ruler of the house”
In Norwegian use, Henny is a feminine form of Henning. In Scandinavian use, Henning carries the interpretation “the ruler of the house.” Henny is a variant of Henrietta. In German use, Henrietta carries the interpretation “ruler of the house.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Norwegian use, Henny is a feminine form of Henning. In Scandinavian use, Henning carries the interpretation “the ruler of the house.” Henny 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
Henny 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 German usage, Henny is a diminutive of Johanna. In Norwegian usage, Henny is a feminine form of Henning. Henny 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 1921. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Henny 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
Henny through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,114
- 58 boys · 1,056 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 66 babies
- 2025
- 66
- #2,626 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +52%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 66 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,626 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 51.6% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (46). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,330 as a first name in 2020; 344 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.
Henny’s family of names
In German usage, Henny is a diminutive of Johanna. In Norwegian usage, Henny is a feminine form of Henning. Henny has a related form in Henrietta.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Henny has relatives in 5 languages.
8 related names in 5 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Henny
- Henny MeijerDutch association football playerborn 1962
- Henny PortenGerman actress and film producer (1890–1960)
- Henny ReistadNorwegian handball playerborn 1999
- Henny YoungmanAmerican comedian and actor (1906-1998)
- Hendrikje van Andel-SchipperDutch supercentenarian (1890–2005)
- Henny EmanAruban politician (1948–2025)
- Henny MoanNorwegian actress (1936–2024)
- Hennie KeetelaarDutch water polo player (1927–2002)
- Henny SkjønbergNorwegian actress (1886–1973)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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