HENDERSON Surname Meaning and Origin

Henderson is a popular patronymic name meaning "son of Henry." The given name "Henry" means "home ruler" or "ruler of the home," derived from the Germanic name Heimirich which is composed of the elements heim, meaning "home" and ric, meaning "power, ruler."

Surname Origin: English, Scottish

Alternate Surname Spellings: HENDERSEN, HENSON, HENRYSON, HENRYSOUN, HENNDERSON, HENHYSON

Where in the World is the HENDERSON Surname Found?

According to WorldNames public profiler, the largest number of individuals with the Henderson surname live in Scotland, especially the Highlands region. It is also a very popular surname in New Zealand and Australia. Surname distribution statistics at Forebears has the Henderson surname appearing with the greatest population density in Dominica, followed by Scotland. In 1881 Scotland the greatest percentage of Hendersons lived in Caithness, Shetland, and Kinross-shire.

Famous People with the Surname HENDERSON

• Fletcher Henderson - Big band jazz pianist and songwriter
• Florence Henderson - American actress best known for her role as Carol Brady in The Brady Bunch television sitcom
• Rickey Henderson - American baseball player
• Thomas Henderson - Royal astronomer of the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa
• Arthur Henderson - Organizer of the British Labour Party
• Archibald Henderson - Fifth Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps
• John Brooks Henderson - Author of the thirteenth amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery

Genealogy Resources for the Surname HENDERSON

Most Common U.S. Surnames & Their Meanings
Smith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown...Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 250 common last names from the 2000 census?

Clan Henderson Society
Among the goals of the Clan Henderson Society are fostering Scottish culture, activities, festivals, and games; assisting with Henderson genealogical research, and promoting the history and culture of the Henderson clan and Scotland.

Henderson DNA Project
Formed under the auspices of the Clan Henderson Societies of the United States and Canada, this Henderson surname DNA project supports efforts to document individual Henderson families and trace the migration of the Hendersons over time. 

Henderson Family Genealogy Forum
Search this popular genealogy forum for the Henderson surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or ask your own question about your Henderson ancestors.

FamilySearch - HENDERSON Genealogy
Discover historical records and lineage-linked family trees for the Henderson surname and its variations on this free genealogy site sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

HENDERSON Surname & Family Mailing Lists
RootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Henderson surname.

DistantCousin.com - HENDERSON Genealogy & Family History
Free databases and genealogy links for the last name Henderson.

The Henderson Genealogy and Family Tree Page
Browse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the Henderson surname from the website of Genealogy Today.

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References: Surname Meanings & Origins

Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.

Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German Jewish Surnames. Avotaynu, 2005.

Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia. Avotaynu, 2004.

Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.

Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.

Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

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