Henrik
The Scandinavian spelling of Polish Henryk, from the Germanic Heimirich, "home ruler". Rare here: most Poles have never met one, and every Henrik on record is a boy.
Henrik Pronunciation
Henrik is pronounced KHEN-reek (/ˈxɛnrik/).
What Henrik means
Where Henrik comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Henrik grows from the old Germanic name Heimirich, which binds heim, home, to ric, ruler. The short meaning falls out of that directly: home ruler. Poland kept the softer spelling Henryk, and a small boy answering to it becomes Henio. Scandinavia held onto the crisp ending, and Henrik is the standard Norwegian and Swedish form.
The "ruler" half was no metaphor for the men who first bore it. A long line of German kings and Holy Roman Emperors named Heinrich governed real territory, which is how the Polish sense władca ojczyzny, lord of the homeland, came to fit the name. English shaped the same root into Henry, French into Henri.
For a daughter, the name turns to Henryka. That is a rarer choice now. Read the boy's version on an imieniny card in July, when Henryk keeps his name-day, and the meaning is plain enough: pan domu, the one who rules the house.
How many people are named Henrik
1 in 92408 men in Poland is named Henrik. 231 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #2046 among male names.
Henrik's popularity over time
Fewer than 2 boys were given the name in 2025. It has been climbing since 2025.
Where Henrik is most popular
Henrik is most popular in Kuyavian-Pomeranian, 1876% above the national average (2 boys born 2019–2025).
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Kuyavian-Pomeranian2 boys born+1876%
Henrik as a middle name
Henrik is a first name for 231 men in Poland and a middle name for another 146, a 61/39 split. In the men's middle-name ranking it sits 582nd, between Mikolaj (147) and Cezariusz (145).
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#580 Phillip148
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#581 Mikolaj147
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#582 Henrik146
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#583 Cezariusz145
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#584 Lawrence145