Hendry
A Scottish and English surname that usually means “son of Henry.”
The #6,127 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 55,222 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hendry is a patronymic surname built on the personal name Henry. In older forms, it can reflect a diminutive or dialectal spelling of Henry, and in Welsh contexts it may represent the Anglicized form of ap Henry, literally “son of Henry.” The core meaning is therefore “descendant of Henry,” with the exact route varying by region.
History
The name appears in several British traditions, especially in Scotland and northern England, where Henry-based surnames often took local spellings. Early surname writers also note Welsh forms such as ap Hendry or ap Henry being reduced to Hendry. The spelling has remained relatively stable, though related forms like Hendry, Hendrie, Hendrick, and Henderson overlap in historical records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname dictionaries explicitly compare Hendry with other Henry-forms such as Hendrie and Hendrick, showing how fluid spelling could be in pre-standardized records.
From the historical record
“MACHON I Matthew, q.v. MAC HENDRY (Gelt. -|-Teut.) Son OF Hendry = Henry, q.v. MAC HUGH (Celt.-f Teut. or Celt.) Son of Hugh :'v. Hugh The name Mac Hugh is often the Anglicized form of the Ir. Mac”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Hendry
- Stephen Hendry (b. 1969)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.