Hennings
A patronymic surname meaning “son of Hennin,” ultimately from a medieval Germanic given name built on Heinrich/Henry.
The #9,382 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 89,053 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hennings is a patronymic surname formed from the personal name Hennig or Hennin, with the ending -s meaning “son of” or “belonging to” in several Germanic naming traditions. Hennig itself is a pet form of Heinrich, the German equivalent of Henry, originally meaning “home ruler” or “ruler of the household.” In some cases the surname may also reflect independent use of the same given-name tradition in English or Scandinavian communities.
History
The name is most strongly associated with German-speaking areas, where patronymic surnames of this type were common. It later spread through migration into the United States and other English-speaking countries. Because it is built on a familiar medieval given name, related spellings and forms can appear in several regions and records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The root name Henry was popular across medieval Europe, so surnames built from it developed independently in several languages and often look deceptively similar.