I think Henry is a great name. It’s sweet, handsome, ages well, is easy to spell and pronounce, everything about it basically is great. Which, of course, a lot of other people think too! Henry is becoming such a popular choice and I know of a few young ones. So when does a name cross over into becoming too popular? It’s in the top 5 of my state, and I don’t want to end up with a name that either feels dated due to a popularity spike or a name where he’ll always have to use a last initial.
Is Henry too popular now? And what are some names with a similar vibe to them?
Personally I don’t consider any name to be “too popular”. It’s up to you to decide if it’s too popular for you. For some perspective, the top names given when you were born were likely much more popular than the top names now! Lots of people want to give their babies more unique names now for some reason. I think [name_m]Heath[/name_m] and [name_m]Jack[/name_m] have a similar vibe.
I agree that popularity is all very subjective, and I don’t think a name can just be “too popular”. [name_m]Henry[/name_m] is a fairly common choice today, seeing as it ranked at #9 for boys in 2020. But it’s a lovely choice, and it’s popular for a reason.
I will say, to me, trendiness is a lot more of an issue with names than popularity. Names that come out of nowhere and get super popular and then fade away and will feel dated. [name_m]Henry[/name_m] is a familiar favorite, and does not feel trendy at all to me.
Can’t comment about how much it’s used, but I can guarantee you it won’t be a dated name. Dated names happen when the name it unpopular, then it comes from nowhere and suddenly it’s everyone’s favourite, and later it disappears.
This is Henry’s popularity stat. As you see, it has never been fast-rising or fast-dropping. An almost stable popularity level.
I love [name_m]Henry[/name_m] because it’s classic but youthful. It won’t feel dated nor super trendy and if you pair it with an unexpected middle name, you get a gorgeous and unique combo.
[name_f]Do[/name_f] you have any middle name suggestions? I like a lot of “classic” names, but something a little more unexpected would be really nice with [name_m]Henry[/name_m]
I absolutely love the name [name_m]Henry[/name_m], always have. Yes, it’s popular, but as others have said there’s a reason for that. If you love it I wouldn’t let its popularity stop you from using it. I’m probably overly focused on popularity but if I were to loosen my obsession with avoiding names in the top 50 [name_m]Henry[/name_m] is probably the one I’d use (well, that or [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m], which is another classic I’ve always loved). To me, names of a similar style are [name_u]Oliver[/name_u], [name_m]Jack[/name_m] (and Sebastian), and also, to an extent, [name_m]Edward[/name_m] and [name_m]William[/name_m]. [name_m]Louis[/name_m] is also one that feels similar in vibe to me.
I feel like…Henry is so classical it can’t be considered faddish…Like [name_m]Brian[/name_m] or [name_f]Emily[/name_f]. Sometimes a nice standard name is well enough good honestly.
Names with a similar vibe:
[name_u]Harry[/name_u]
[name_m]Arnie[/name_m]
[name_m]Eric[/name_m]
[name_f]Honore[/name_f]
[name_m]Regis[/name_m]
[name_m]Raymond[/name_m]
[name_m]Ernie[/name_m]
[name_m]Hal[/name_m]
[name_u]Emery[/name_u]
[name_m]Omri[/name_m]
[name_u]Ellery[/name_u]
[name_m]Harvey[/name_m]
I don’t think it’s too popular… but that’s something only you can decide for yourself. Being a royal name, [name_m]Henry[/name_m] has always been a relatively popular name (in an English-speaking context). It’s not like it’s gone from being incredibly rare to being very popular (à la Jayden), so I don’t see it becoming a dated choice.
