Fun Facts About the Name Henning
- 301 babies named Henning: U.S. records list 301 babies given the name Henning from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Henning Mean?
Henning is a German and Scandinavian masculine given name that developed as a familiar form of Heinrich (Henry). It goes back to the Germanic elements heim, meaning "home," and rīhhi, meaning "ruler" or "power," so its established meaning is "ruler of the home." The second element is the same one behind names such as Frederick and Richard. The ending -ing is a suffix used in Low German to build short or pet forms, so Henning began as a byname for someone named Heinrich rather than as an independent coinage.
Henning Name History & Origins
Henning belongs to the large family of short forms that grew up around Heinrich, one of the most common names of the medieval German-speaking world. In northern Germany, where Low German was spoken, -ing was attached to a shortened stem to make familiar names; alongside Henning there were forms such as Hennig. The suffix could work either as a diminutive ("little Heinrich") or as a patronymic ("descendant of Heinrich"), and the same patterns produced surnames as well, which is why Henning exists today both as a given name and as a family name in Germany and Scandinavia.
Through trade and settlement around the North Sea and Baltic, German name forms moved into Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, and Henning settled in as an ordinary Scandinavian given name there. It is kept distinct from Henrik, the standard Scandinavian form of Henry, even though the two share the same root. In Denmark and Norway the name has been common enough to produce well-known modern bearers and a matching surname; in Sweden it is used as well, spelled the same way.
How Popular is the Name Henning?
Henning has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2014. Its best rank was #1,826 in 1915.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #10,057 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2024 | #10,236 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2023 | #7,445 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2022 | #9,298 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #5,629 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2020 | #8,300 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2019 | #10,121 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2018 | #9,115 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #8,394 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2016 | #5,643 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2015 | #7,244 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2014 | #5,130 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2013 | #7,215 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2011 | #13,009 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #10,058 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #11,022 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1966 | #4,185 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1938 | #3,745 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1937 | #3,310 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1931 | #4,012 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1930 | #3,426 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1928 | #3,508 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1927 | #4,448 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1926 | #3,009 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1925 | #3,933 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1924 | #3,648 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1923 | #3,290 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1922 | #2,894 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1921 | #2,879 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1920 | #2,271 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1919 | #3,233 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1916 | #2,201 | 13 | 0.0015% |
| 1915 | #1,826 | 16 | 0.0019% |
| 1913 | #3,015 | 5 | 0.0010% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Henning Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You attract success and money. You are a lover of nature and do not need others for your happiness. You are self sufficient. You strive for material success and power and have business sense. You possess strong organizational abilities, can be a good manager, and executive by nature. You are capable of great achievement in business and finance. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Henning's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Henning's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.