Given name · also French
Henrietta
“ruler of the house”·“home”·“power”
Henrietta is a feminine form of Henry. Henry combines “home” with “power” or “ruler,” giving the sense “ruler of the home.”
Original FrenchHenriette
Meaning & origin
What it means
In German use, Henrietta carries the interpretation “ruler of the house.” Henrietta is a feminine form of Henry. Henry combines “home” with “power” or “ruler,” giving the sense “ruler of the home.”
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is French.
How it developed
In English use, Henrietta is used as a form of French. Henrietta is used as a feminine counterpart of Henry. Henrietta is a feminine 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.
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. Henrietta is a feminine 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.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Henrietta through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 51,387
- 57 boys · 51,330 girls
- Most popular year
- 1918
- 1,411 babies
- 2025
- 65
- #2,666 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +9%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 65 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,666 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 9.3% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 1,411 in 1918. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (7). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 13,628 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Henrietta’s family of names
In English usage, Henrietta has a diminutive in Harriet. Henrietta is a feminine form of Henry. Henrietta has a related form in Hattie.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Henrietta has relatives in 8 languages. Lines run from its German roots to each of them.
11 related names in 8 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 35
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Hattievariant
- Ettashort form · English
- Harrietdiminutive · English
- Hennydiminutive · Swedish, English
- Hennapet form · Finnish
- Hettydiminutive · English
- Hettiediminutive · English
- Henrievariant
Show 27 moreShow fewer
- Hennievariant
- Hattyvariant
- Henryettavariant
- Henrikavariant
- Henriettevariant · French
- Henrettavariant
- Henrriettalikely variant
- Hennriettalikely variant
- Henidiminutive · Hungarian
- Hanrietvariant
- Hanrettavariant
- Hanriettevariant
- Hanriettavariant
- Henuitavariant
- Henuitevariant
- Henriquavariant
- Hennivariant
- Henkavariant
- Henievariant
- Heniavariant
- Hendrikavariant
- Hatsyvariant
- Hatsievariant
- Henrieetavariant
- Hettevariant
- Hettavariant
- Henrietavariant
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 12
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Henrymasculine form
- HenrykaPolish
- EnriquetaSpanish
- Yettarelated form
- Riyeteequivalent
- Henriquetaequivalent
- Enrichettaequivalent
- JindřiškaCzech
Show 4 moreShow fewer
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Henrietta
- Henrietta Swan LeavittAmerican astronomer and human calculator (1868–1921)
- Henrietta Maria of Francequeen consort of England, Scotland, and Ireland as the wife of King Charles I1609–1669
- Henrietta LacksAmerican woman whose cancer cells are the source of the HeLa cell line (1920–1951)
- Henrietta of EnglandEnglish princess, duchesse of Orléans (1644-1670)
- Henrietta SzoldAmerican Zionist (1860–1945)
- Henrietta ÓnodiHungarian artistic gymnast (born 1974)
- Henrietta Godolphin, 2nd Duchess of MarlboroughEnglish peer (1681-1733)
- Henrietta EdwardsCanadian feminist (1849–1931)
- Henrietta Hill SwopeAmerican astronomer (1902–1980)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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