Henriquez
A Spanish and Portuguese patronymic surname meaning “son or descendant of Henrique,” the local form of Henry.
The #2,329 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 19,719 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Henriquez is the genitive or patronymic form of Henrique, the Iberian equivalent of Henry. In plain terms, it means “of Henrique” or “son of Henrique.” The root name ultimately goes back to Germanic elements meaning something like “home” or “estate” plus “power” or “ruler.”
History
The surname is especially associated with Spanish and Portuguese naming traditions, where patronymics were formed from a father’s given name. Historical sources also show it in compound Iberian surnames such as Henriquez de Castro. The spelling with -ez is the standard Spanish-looking form, while related forms such as Henriques are more typical in Portuguese usage.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In Iberian surnames, the ending -ez often plays the same role that -son does in English surnames such as Johnson.
From the historical record
“HENRIQUES 1 (Span.) genit. of Henrique, HENRIQUEZ J more commonly Enrique = Henry, q.v. in Diet. HER(R)MAN(N (Ger.) Warrior, Soldier [O.Gcr. Heriman(n, Hariman{n — O.H.Ger. and O.Sax. heri, hart, army -I- man{n] HERTZ ] (Ger.) genit. of a dim. of one of the HERZ J Ger. Hert- or Hart- compound”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)