Meaning and Origin of: Harry

Harry in Old German means "Commander," and in Old English menas "Army ruler."

Boy name origins & meanings

  • Old German : Commander
  • Old English : Army ruler
  • German : Ruler of the household
  • German : House ruler

Family name origins & meanings

  • English (mainly South Wales and southwestern England) : from the medieval personal name Harry, which was the usual vernacular form of Henry, with assimilation of the consonantal cluster and regular Middle English change of -er- to -ar-.
  • French : from the Germanic personal name Hariric, composed of the elements hari, heri ‘army’ + rīc ‘power(ful)’.

Famous people with this first name