Henry: Hollywood's Hottest Baby Name
The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers just named his newborn Henry—following celebrity parents from Julia Roberts to Meryl Streep. Name expert Pamela Redmond Satran explains Henry’s popularity.
The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers just named his newborn Henry, following in the footsteps of stars from Julia Roberts to Meryl Streep. Baby name expert Pamela Redmond Satran, co-author of Beyond Ava & Aiden, explains Henry’s popularity. Plus, photos of celebrities who have sons named Henry.
When The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers had his third son recently, he surprised trend watchers by choosing not an ancient prophet’s name like Ammon, as he did for his first child, or a contemporary bad boy name like Gunnar, which he used for his second son. Instead, Flowers followed up those two typically-crazy rocker baby names by choosing something really different, even radical: He named his little boy Henry.
Photos: Celebrities With Sons Named Henry
Henry has emerged from centuries as the ultimate ruthless royal and buttoned-up businessman name to become the darling of celebrities in search of a baby name that combines substance and style.
A classic German name that means “estate ruler,” famous old school Henrys include Ford, Clay, James, Miller, Winkler, David Thoreau, and The Eighth. Some Henrys, such as the young prince of England, are better known as Harry, while others, such as baseball great Aaron, are called Hank.
Henry ranks Number 71 on the popularity charts right now, its highest standing in half a century. In posh urban neighborhoods and upscale suburbs, it sometimes seems as if every boy who isn’t called Jack is named Henry. That holds true in Hollywood, where Henry is one of the most popular celebrity baby names.
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Pamela Redmond Satran, a founder of nameberry.com, is the coauthor of eight books about names, including Beyond Ava & Aiden and Cool Names.
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