Henry is an
English male given name and
surname derived from
Old French Henri/
Henry, itself derived from the
Germanic name
Heinric, from a
compound of the
Proto-Germanic *χaima- "home" and
*rīkja- "mighty". Heinrich could also be the younger form of
Haginric.
Harry, its English short form, was considered the "spoken form" of Henry in medieval England. Most English kings named
Henry were called
Harry. The name became so popular in England that the phrase "
Tom, Dick, and Harry" began to be used to refer to men in general. The common English feminine forms of the name are
Harriet and
Henrietta.