Henderson
A classic patronymic surname meaning “son of Henry” or, in some traditions, “son of Hendrik/Andrew.”
The #109 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 1,414 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Henderson is a patronymic surname built from the personal name Henry, with older forms also connecting it to Hendrik or, in one source tradition, Andrew. The literal sense is “son of Henry” or “son of Hendrik,” from Germanic name elements meaning roughly “home” and “ruler” or “lord.” Earlier dictionaries sometimes debated the exact personal-name base, but the Henry derivation is the one most commonly given.
History
The name is especially well known in Scotland, where Henderson is associated with border and clan history and appears in several 16th- and 17th-century spellings. English surname collections also record it as an established family name, and it later spread widely in Britain and the United States. Variants and related forms include Hendry, Hendrie, Hendriey, and older spellings such as Henresoun and Henryesson.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some 19th-century writers noted that Henderson could be traced in records under multiple old spellings before the modern form became fixed.
From the historical record
“HENDERSON. Either from the per- sonal name Hendric, or from Andrew — pro- bably the latter. HENDOWER. A distinguished Cornish family, who are said to have originated in Wales. The elder line became extinct about temp. Henry VIII., but younger branches who had abbreviated the name to Hender, were living near…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom