Henrietta

Feminine variation of Henry
"estate ruler"

Henrietta Origin and Meaning

The name Henrietta is a girl's name of French, English origin meaning "estate ruler".

Despite a return to such feminizations of male names as Josephine, Clementine, and Theodora, starchy Henrietta has not made it into that group. Still, if you look hard enough, you'll see that Henrietta has the same vintage charm.

The name arrived in England in 1625 via King Charles I's wife, the French princess Henriette Marie, who became known as Henrietta Maria. Her daughter shared her name but was known as Minette.

It has been prominent recently through the bestselling book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, the story of the poor black woman whose cells became one of the most important tools in medical research. Henrietta Szold was a U.S. Zionist leader and founder of the Hadassah Women's Organization.

Henrietta has a number of charming vintage nicknames, including Etta, Hetty and Hattie.

# 975 in the US

Henrietta Rank in US Top 1000

# 592 on Nameberry

Henrietta Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Henrietta Popularity

Famous People Named Henrietta

  • Henrietta Maria
    Queen consort of Charles I of England
  • Henrietta of England
    Duchess of Orleans, daughter of Charles I
  • Henrietta "Jetty" Treffz
    Austrian operatic mezzo,soprano; first wife of composer Johann Strauss II
  • Henrietta Emma "Etty" Darwin
    daughter of naturalist Charles Darwin
  • Henrietta Lacks
    American woman whose cells (HeLa cells) led to many scientific breakthroughs; subject of a book by Rebecca Skloot
  • Henrietta Swan Leavitt
    American astronomer
  • Henrietta Szold
    American Zionist leader; founder of Hadassah
  • Henrietta Leaver
    Miss America 1935
  • Henrietta Onodi
    Hungarian Olympic gymnast who has a skill named for her on balance beam
  • Henrietta Dugdale
    Australian feminist and suffragist
  • Henrietta Alexandrine Friederike Wilhelmine
    Princess of Nassau,Weilburg, wife of Archduke Charles
  • Maria Henrietta (born Maria Enrichetta Carmel)
    Princess of Naples and Sicily; daughter of Ferdinand I
  • Henrietta Godolphin
    2nd Duchess of Marlborough; daughter of John Churchill
  • Henrietta "Harriet" Pelham
    Holles, Duchess of Newcastle,upon,Tyne, wife of British PM Thomas Pelham,Holles; daughter of Henrietta Godolphin
  • Henrietta FitzJames Butler
    Viscountess Galmoye, daughter of Britain's James II and Arabella Churchill
  • Benedicta Henrietta Philippina
    Princess of the Palatinate; Duchess of Brunswick,Lüneburg
  • Maria Henrietta Caroline Gabriele
    Archduchess of Austria
  • Isabella Henrietta Ingrid Margrethe (b. 2007)
    Princess of Denmark, daughter of Crown Prince Frederik

Henrietta in Pop Culture

  • Henrietta "H"
    character in the film "Imagine Me & You"
  • Henrietta Biggle
    character in the TV series "South Park"
  • Henrietta "Hetty" King
    character on TV's "Road to Avonlea"
  • Henrietta "Hetty" Lange
    character on "NCIS: Los Angeles"
  • Henrietta "Etta" Bishop
    character on TV's "Fringe"
  • Henrietta Musgrove
    character in "Persuasion" by Jane Austen
  • Henrietta "Henny
    " character in Sydney Taylor's "All,of,a,Kind Family"
  • Henrietta Pussycat
    character on "Mister Rogers Neighborhood"
  • Henrietta "Hettie" Hubble
    character on "The New Worst Witch"
  • Henrietta Lowell
    in film "A New Leaf"
  • Henrietta Vanderpreen
    character on "Bear in the Big Blue House"
  • Henrietta Beak
    chicken character in comic strip "Pluggers"
  • Henrietta
    song by The Fratellis
  • Henrietta "Hetty" Woodlawn
    in the "Caddie Woodlawn" by Carol Ryrie Brink.
  • Henrietta Von Marzipan
    character on "Codename: Kids Next Door"
  • Henrietta "Etta" Spencer
    character in book "Passenger"
  • Henrietta
    small town in "The Raven Cycle" series
  • Henrietta
    a little girl turned assasin in the Manga and Anime "Gunslinger Girl"