Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Henrietta” come from?

Henrietta derives from French Henriette, the feminine form created with the Old French diminutive suffix -ette applied to Henri, itself from Frankish Haimrik, ultimately traced through Proto-Germanic haimaz and Proto-Indo-European kōim- to the root h₃reǵ-.

Ancestry of “Henrietta”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1FrenchHenriette—
2FrenchHenriHenry
3Old FrenchHenri—
4LatinHenrīcus—
5Old High GermanHaimirich—
6Old High Germanrihhirich; empire, kingdom, realm
7Proto-West Germanicrīkīmighty, powerful; rich; kingdom, realm
8Proto-Germanicrīkijazkingly, royal, noble; mighty, powerful; rich
9Proto-Germanicrīksking, ruler
10Proto-Celticrīxsking
11Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃rḗǵsking, ruler
12Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃reǵ-to straighten, to right oneself; right; just
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ- →