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
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | Henriette | — |
| 2 | French | Henri | Henry |
| 3 | Old French | Henri | — |
| 4 | Latin | Henrīcus | — |
| 5 | Old High German | Haimirich | — |
| 6 | Old High German | rihhi | rich; empire, kingdom, realm |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | rīkī | mighty, powerful; rich; kingdom, realm |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | rīkijaz | kingly, royal, noble; mighty, powerful; rich |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | rīks | king, ruler |
| 10 | Proto-Celtic | rīxs | king |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃rḗǵs | king, ruler |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃reǵ- | to straighten, to right oneself; right; just |