UK boy's name
Heinrich
A masculine German name deriving from Germanic elements meaning "estate ruler".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2011. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Heinrich is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Heinrich popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2011 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4647, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2008, with 4 births.
This profile covers 10 England and Wales registrations across 3 recorded years from 2006 to 2011. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 75% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 10 living people in the UK are called Heinrich. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2012 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Heinrich ranked #4647 for boys in England and Wales in 2011, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2008, when 4 boys were registered as Heinrich.
- • About 10 living people in the UK are estimated to have Heinrich as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4647
2011
Births in 2011
3
Latest year
Peak year
2008
4 births
Estimated living
10
2026
Meaning
What does Heinrich mean?
The name Heinrich has its origins in the Germanic languages, deriving from the Old High German name Heimric, which itself derives from the words "heim" meaning "home" and "ric" meaning "power" or "ruler." The name can be traced back to the 8th century CE and was popular among the Franks and other Germanic tribes of that period.
Heinrich gained widespread usage across medieval Europe, particularly in the regions of modern-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It was a common name among the nobility and ruling classes, with several notable historical figures bearing the name. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Carolingian dynasty, with Heinrich I (876-936 CE) being a prominent figure as the first East Frankish king.
The name also appears in various religious texts and chronicles from the Middle Ages. For example, Heinrich der Löwe (Henry the Lion, 1129-1195 CE), a member of the House of Welf, was a prominent figure in the Holy Roman Empire and is mentioned in several historical accounts of the time.
Over the centuries, numerous influential individuals have borne the name Heinrich. These include Heinrich VI (1165-1197 CE), a Holy Roman Emperor; Heinrich VII (1275-1313 CE), another Holy Roman Emperor; Heinrich VIII (1486-1539 CE), a German noble and Prince of Lüneburg; and Heinrich VIII (1491-1547 CE), the famous King of England who played a significant role in the English Reformation.
Other notable individuals with the name Heinrich include Heinrich Heine (1797-1856 CE), a German poet and literary critic; Heinrich Hertz (1857-1894 CE), a German physicist who demonstrated the existence of electromagnetic waves; and Heinrich Schliemann (1822-1890 CE), a German archaeologist who excavated the site of ancient Troy.
The name Heinrich has a rich historical legacy, reflecting its long-standing popularity among the Germanic peoples and its association with rulers, nobility, and influential figures across various fields throughout the centuries.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Heinrich over time
The chart below shows babies named Heinrich registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2006 to 2011. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Heinrich, the clearest high point is 2008. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2011, compared with 4 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Heinrich by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Heinrich was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #4647 | 3 | 1 |
| 2000s | #3870 | 7 | 2 |
Related
Names similar to Heinrich
- Harry 141,693
- Henry 65,177
- Harrison 45,958
- Harvey 35,648
- Harley 22,095
- Hugo 18,779
- Hayden 12,622
- Hunter 10,350
- Hudson 9,104
- Hamza 8,564
- Hassan 5,982
- Hasan 3,599
FAQ
Heinrich: questions and answers
How popular is the name Heinrich in the UK right now?
In 2011, Heinrich was ranked #4647 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Heinrich most popular?
The peak year on record was 2008, with 4 babies registered as Heinrich in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Heinrich?
A masculine German name deriving from Germanic elements meaning "estate ruler".
How many people are called Heinrich in the UK?
A total of 10 babies have been registered as Heinrich across the 3 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.