Dog name guide

Henderson

The meaning, background and naming story of Henderson.

Letters
9
Syllables
3Dictionary reading
Starts with
H

Meaning and background

The story behind Henderson

Henderson is chiefly a Scottish and English patronymic surname meaning a descendant or son of Henry. The Dictionary of American Family Names records several historical forms, including a formation from Hen, and notes that it sometimes replaced McKendrick in Scotland. That complexity matters more than an invented standalone word meaning. Henderson has three syllables and offers possible everyday shortenings without requiring them.

Origin
English and Scottish patronymic surname, commonly from Henry or Hen with -son; in Scotland sometimes used for McKendrick. Source
Meaning
Usually son of Henry (or a pet form such as Hen); a historical family relationship. Source

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About Henderson

Recorded as a dog’s name

Henderson appears in 7 dog licence records in the 2022 New York City dataset.

How to read this count

These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.

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Pronunciation and rhythm

/hɛndɚsən/

US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.

Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.

View dictionary notation

/hɛndɚsən/ · primary stress on syllable 1
HH EH1 N D ER0 S AH0 N

These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.

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Sources and research notes (2)
  • New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — all seven available extract years, retrieved 24 October 2026 — Recorded name spellings in NYC licence-period rows, extract years 2016–2018, 2022–2024 and 2026. Evidence selects one stated year per name. Annual snapshots overlap; never sum them as unique dogs. No national popularity, etymology or owner naming-intent claim.
  • Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation

References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.

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