Henning

Attested across 12 languages in the etymology graph.

Henning is one spelling over 2 language communities, and the dictionaries record it differently in 2 of them. Each row is what a source recorded for that language, beside the share of this name’s records the language holds. No single row is the name’s meaning.

• English69%

  present participle and gerund of hen

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• German14%

  Patronymic from the personal name Heinrich; plate documents consonant variation n/ng, -k/-g, and genitive/patronymic -s/-sen forms.

  as a name·Deutscher Familiennamenatlas, Band 2: Graphematik/Phonologie der Familiennamen II, Konsonantismus

  Patronym bzw. diminutivische Ableitung zu Heinrich oder Johannes; zeigt n-Schwund im Suffix -ing > -ig. Bearer count: 7945.

  as a name·Deutscher Familiennamenatlas, Band 2: Graphematik/Phonologie der Familiennamen II, Konsonantismus

  Patronym zu Heinrich/Henning; demonstriert nasale Variation im Familiennamen (nn/ng). Bearer count: 7945.

  as a name·Deutscher Familiennamenatlas, Band 2: Graphematik/Phonologie der Familiennamen II, Konsonantismus

The share is ours — how much of this name’s records each language holds. The sense beside it is the source’s, quoted and credited, including where it names a gender. We do not publish a gender of our own per language: our records carry one figure for the spelling as a whole.

Names that people choosing a name often weigh against Henning, most often first. They share a style rather than an origin.

• Niklas
• Fredrik
• Einar
• Erik
• Gustav

From the names suggested together in public name-advice forums, in English. A list of what people consider, not a measure of how common any name is.

Henning is also recorded as another name, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• a separate surname2 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Norway, United Kingdom, Canada

  Also written Hęnnįng

66 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Henning is also recorded in 2 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• habitational name from a farm in Trpndelag. The first element is of uncertain origin, possibly from hein ‘whetstone’; the second element is from Old Norse vin ‘meadow’.

  as a name·Dictionary of American Family Names

• in part the German, Dutch, or Danish name (see 1), but possibly in some cases a variant of Scottish Hanning.

  as a name·Dictionary of American Family Names

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

• Walter Bruno Henningb. 1908DEGerman linguist (1908 – 1967)
• Anne Henningb. 1955USAmerican speed skater
• Josephine Henningb. 1989DEGerman footballer

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

66 registers and reference works attest this spelling, across 27 countries.

Register rows as of the 2026-10-09 data build.

Where does the name Henning come from?

Patronymic from the personal name Heinrich; plate documents consonant variation n/ng, -k/-g, and genitive/patronymic -s/-sen forms. Recorded by Deutscher Familiennamenatlas, Band 2: Graphematik/Phonologie der Familiennamen II, Konsonantismus.

What are other forms of the name Henning?

In the etymology graph, Rico, Hein and Hendrick are forms of the same name in other languages.

What does the name Henning mean?

In English, present participle and gerund of hen

Which countries have the most people with the surname Henning?

Mondonomo estimates about 22 thousand people named Henning in Germany, more than in any other country we hold, where it is most often spelled henning. After it come United States, South Africa, United Kingdom and Canada; the country table on this page ranks them.

How common is the name Henning?

In the United States, the national register counted 16,557 people named Henning in 2010, about 1 in 20 thousand residents.

How common is Henning compared with other names?

In Germany, Henning is the 254th most common surname of 765,306 surnames recorded there.