David vs Henry
David and Henrycompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2018, David was ranked #97 and Henry #5 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, David was ranked #64 and Henry #14 among boys in England and Wales.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2020, David was ranked #84 and Henry #30 among boys in New Zealand.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, David was ranked #104 and Henry #45 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, David was ranked #45 and Henry #76 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, David was ranked #88 and Henry #50 among boys in Norway.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, David was ranked #71 and Henry #95 among boys in Scotland.
David and Henry over time
David and Henry appear together in 6 published lists, across 260 years of shared records. David held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Henry in 1.
The order between them changed and held in 4 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
David reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 5 of those lists, Henry in 1. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- One took the other's place near the top
In England and Wales · Boys, Henry moved into the top 50 at #48 in 2004 as David fell out of it to #55, having been #49 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2004, Henry moved ahead of David in England and Wales · Boys — #49 and #53 the year before became #55 and #48.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
David and Henry changed places 4 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2025, ending at #88 and #50.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, David and Henry averaged 28.2 places apart, ending at #64 and #14.
- Mirrored each other
Over 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Henry rose about as far as David fell — from #32 and #58 in 1996 to #64 and #14 in 2024.
- Longest-running competitions
David and Henry were both ranked in New Zealand · Boys for 38 years, from 1954 to 2020, ending at #84 and #30.
List by list
Norway · Boys81 shared years, 1945–2025
David held the stronger position in 63 of those years, Henry in 18.
Highest recorded here: David #31 in 2005, Henry #50 in 2025.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: David #88, Henry #50.
Republic of Ireland · Boys62 shared years, 1964–2025
David held the stronger position in 62 of those years, Henry in 0.
Highest recorded here: David #1 in 1985, Henry #60 in 1964.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: David #45, Henry #76.
New Zealand · Boys38 shared years, 1954–2020
David held the stronger position in 25 of those years, Henry in 13.
Highest recorded here: David #1 in 1961, Henry #19 in 2017.
The order changed in 2011: Henry moved ahead. In 2010 they stood at #61 and #62; by 2011 that had become #59 and #52.
Most recent shared year, 2020: David #84, Henry #30.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
David held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Henry in 21.
Highest recorded here: David #32 in 1996, Henry #10 in 2021.
The order changed in 2004: Henry moved ahead. In 2003 they stood at #49 and #53; by 2004 that had become #55 and #48.
Most recent shared year, 2024: David #64, Henry #14.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
David held the stronger position in 17 of those years, Henry in 9.
Highest recorded here: David #9 in 1997, Henry #22 in 2023.
The order changed in 2018: Henry moved ahead. In 2017 they stood at #66 and #74; by 2018 that had become #69 and #54.
Most recent shared year, 2024: David #104, Henry #45.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys22 shared years, 1993–2018
David held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Henry in 11.
Highest recorded here: David #21 in 1993, Henry #5 in 2018.
The order changed in 2007: Henry moved ahead. In 2006 they stood at #64 and #65; by 2007 that had become #76 and #52.
Most recent shared year, 2018: David #97, Henry #5.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | David | Henry |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Commonly interpreted as 'beloved', with a possible secondary sense of 'uncle' for the root. | Home ruler, estate ruler. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Germanic, via Old French Henri |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdeɪvɪd/ | /ˈhɛnɹi/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Harry, Hal, Heinrich, Henri |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #45 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #6 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | high |
What the data shows
- David is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin, while Henry is recorded with a Germanic, via Old French Henri origin.
- David and Henry both have 2 syllables.
- David's recorded meaning differs from Henry's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
- The available evidence gives David a "medium" Data Confidence level and Henry a "high" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
David
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #167 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1952–2018
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1961 (recorded 1952–2018).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #88 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Henry
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #102 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1993–2025
Highest recorded position: #4 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2023 (recorded 1993–2025).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #6 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys