Hendricks
A patronymic surname meaning “son of Henry,” with Dutch and Low Countries roots.
The #802 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 7,147 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hendricks is a patronymic form built on the personal name Hendrick, itself a Dutch and Low Countries form of Henry. In older English records, the spelling with -ck- or -cks- often reflects a name imported from the Continent, and the final -s marks “son of” or belonging to the family of Hendrick. The ultimate source is Henry, from Germanic elements meaning roughly “home” and “power” or “ruler.”
History
The name appears in English records in forms such as Hendrick and Hendricks from an early date, and Bardsley specifically treats it as a much earlier Low Countries import rather than a modern immigrant spelling. In later centuries the surname was reinforced by Dutch immigration, which also brought closely related spellings such as Hendriks and Henriques. It is therefore found both in English-speaking and Dutch-descended family lines.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The old surname spelling with a final -s is a useful clue: in many cases it signals a patronymic, not a plural family name.
From the historical record
“added Hendriks and Henriques to the Loudon Dir., but Hendrick and Hendricks represent a much earlier importation from the Low Countries. The J is intrusive, as in our own Hendry for Henry. Tphi Hendricb, ca Cunb., ii”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances