I adore the name [name]Henry[/name]. I just found out I’m having a boy and I just can’t get over how much I love the name. My name is [name]Jennifer[/name] so popularity really bothers me. [name]How[/name] popular is [name]Henry[/name]? I know the ranking. But is it popular as in, he’ll have another [name]Henry[/name] in his class or popular like there will be another [name]Henry[/name] in his school? I hate that I love such a popular name
Also, any advice on middle names. I’d love something literary or ocean-inspired. Something different without being bizarre.
I’m assuming you’re in America, so I couldn’t really say. Henry is popular, but I don’t think it’s is super popular (at least, it’ll never be as insanely popular as Jennifer once was!). I guess what I’m saying is, it’s not so popular that you should cross it off your list, especially if you really love it! Henry is top of my list, too A really cute combination I’ve heard is Henry Gabriel.
My kids are all a bit older (8-12) so I can’t really say how popular it is among the preschool set. But I have never personally known a [name]Henry[/name] and I just asked my oldest and he said that he can’t remember ever knowing a [name]Henry[/name] either. I love love love the name right now and if we end up having a boy it would be a strong contender for me. There’s a lot of authors with the first name of [name]Henry[/name], but I’m not sure if you would want to use exact names for your own son.
I always have this problem too! I fall madly in love with popular names and fear that my child will have to share that name. To some people, this just sounds ridiculous - especially if you love the name - but to me, I don’t know. I want my child’s name to stand out. It doesn’t have to be a unique name, it just has to be their name. For the record, [name]Henry[/name] is one of my favorites too.
PS: I also love [name]Gretchen[/name] and [name]Cordelia[/name]. Great names!
[name]Henry[/name] is not super popular where I am (western US), but I don’t that many kids under 4.
Giving a kid a rare name doesn’t mean they wont be the only one in their class (though it helps the odds). My name was very rare when I was a kid, but when I was in grade school there was another girl with the same name in my class. and in the reverse [name]Michael[/name] was a very popular name, but we only had one in our whole grade.
The popularity all depends on the state (assuming your in [name]America[/name]), I bet you can find out if [name]Henry[/name] is popular in your area. In my state I don’t think [name]Henry[/name] is to popular. I only know 1 [name]Henry[/name].
Although [name]Henry[/name] is nameberry popular, it was #57 in 2011, so it’s not “super-popular”-- in the US it just cracked the top 100 in 2006. If you love it, I would use it and not worry too much about the popularity.
Sorry, yes, I’m in the US. [name]New[/name] [name]England[/name], to be more precise. I’ve not yet run into a [name]Henry[/name] on the playground, but I guess I don’t really know what #52 translates to. You know?
I agree with the others - it really depends where you are, however I don’t think that [name]Henry[/name] will reach the same kind of popularity as [name]Jennifer[/name]. That being said, the only two [name]Henry[/name] s I know off the top of my head are both in their late teens. And a few celeb babies, but none where I’m from (southern US).
I’m an elementary teacher (in [name]CA[/name]) and have not yet had a [name]Henry[/name] in any of my classes. Now it may be becoming more popular, but I don’t think you can go wrong with such a wonderfully classic name.
It depends on where you are. [name]Henry[/name] is a favorite in affluent and/or hipster circles, so if you live in that kind of area then you’re going to meet a lot of little guys named [name]Henry[/name]. If you don’t live in that kind of area, then you’re probably safe.
If you look at the 2011 birth statistics and spread out the number of Henrys evenly in all 50 states, then there’s only about 143 Henrys per state. [name]Even[/name] [name]Jacob[/name] and [name]Sophia[/name] aren’t as popular as [name]Jennifer[/name] once was.
I’ve seen [name]Henry[/name] thrown about as possible names, but I have only actually met 1 or 2. (I’m a nanny and wind up in many kids classes and play areas so I hear a ton of names, too.) I’m in midwest US, too.
[name]Henry[/name] is fabulous, I really think if you love a name ignore the popularity ranking…this is their name and you should [name]LOVE[/name] it. I’ve always loved [name]Henry[/name] [name]Oliver[/name] as a name.
We chose [name]Henry[/name] for our baby boy, and I shared your concerns about popularity. We went with a unique middle, so that we would have an option if there are too many other little Henrys.
So far, we have only met one other baby [name]Henry[/name]. We are in Oregon and the popularity of [name]Henry[/name] is much higher than the national average (#12 in 2011). You can see the top 100 baby names by state here: Popular Names by State
Also, one nice thing about [name]Henry[/name] is there are several nickname options ([name]Hank[/name], [name]Hal[/name], [name]Harry[/name]) in case you run into many Henrys in the same class, though I don’t like those nearly as much as [name]Henry[/name].
I’m glad I chose [name]Henry[/name], if that helps! It is my very favorite boy name. Though we call our baby by his middle just as often if not more right now.
[name]Henry[/name] is a nice name. Have you considered [name]Henley[/name]? I really like it. It sounds very similar without the popularity.
Since you asked for literary middle names, here are a few suggestions:
[name]Henry[/name] [name]Fitzgerald[/name]
[name]Henry[/name] [name]Auden[/name]
[name]Henry[/name] [name]Hawthorne[/name]
[name]Henry[/name] [name]Dedalus[/name] ([name]Stephen[/name] [name]Dedalus[/name] is the protagonist of [name]Joyce[/name]'s “A Portrait of the Artist as a [name]Young[/name] [name]Man[/name]”)
A really cute combination I’ve heard is Henry Gabriel.