Henry vs Thomas
Henry and Thomascompared 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 2025, Henry was ranked #6 and Thomas #13 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, Henry was ranked #8 and Thomas #18 among boys in New Zealand.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Henry was ranked #45 and Thomas #11 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Henry was ranked #14 and Thomas #26 among boys in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Henry was ranked #76 and Thomas #16 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Henry was ranked #95 and Thomas #20 among boys in Scotland.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Henry was ranked #50 and Thomas #106 among boys in Norway.
Henry and Thomas over time
Henry and Thomas appear together in 6 published lists, across 272 years of shared records. Thomas held the stronger position in more years in 6 of them, Henry in 0.
The order between them changed and held in 3 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Thomas 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 moved ahead of the other
In 2019, Henry moved ahead of Thomas in England and Wales · Boys — #13 and #12 the year before became #12 and #13.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Henry and Thomas averaged 26.7 places apart, ending at #14 and #26.
- Longest-running competitions
Henry and Thomas were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 31 years, from 1993 to 2025, ending at #6 and #13.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Henry #60 in 1964, Thomas #5 in 1965.
List by list
Norway · Boys81 shared years, 1945–2025
Henry held the stronger position in 17 of those years, Thomas in 64.
Highest recorded here: Henry #50 in 2025, Thomas #1 in 1974.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Henry #50, Thomas #106.
Republic of Ireland · Boys62 shared years, 1964–2025
Henry held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Thomas in 62.
Highest recorded here: Henry #60 in 1964, Thomas #5 in 1965.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Henry #76, Thomas #16.
New Zealand · Boys41 shared years, 1954–2023
Henry held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Thomas in 40.
Highest recorded here: Henry #8 in 2023, Thomas #4 in 2001.
The order changed in 2023: Henry moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #18 and #15; by 2023 that had become #8 and #18.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Henry #8, Thomas #18.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys31 shared years, 1993–2025
Henry held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Thomas in 22.
Highest recorded here: Henry #4 in 2023, Thomas #3 in 2000.
The order changed in 2017: Henry moved ahead. In 2016 they stood at #18 and #8; by 2017 that had become #6 and #7.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Henry #6, Thomas #13.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Henry held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Thomas in 22.
Highest recorded here: Henry #10 in 2021, Thomas #2 in 1998.
The order changed in 2019: Henry moved ahead. In 2018 they stood at #13 and #12; by 2019 that had become #12 and #13.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Henry #14, Thomas #26.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Henry held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Thomas in 28.
Highest recorded here: Henry #22 in 2023, Thomas #6 in 2020.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Henry #45, Thomas #11.
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 | Henry | Thomas |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Home ruler, estate ruler. | The Greek form of the Aramaic name meaning 'twin'. |
| Origin | Germanic, via Old French Henri | Aramaic, via Greek |
| Pronunciation | /ˈhɛnɹi/ | /ˈtɑməs/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Harry, Hal, Heinrich, Henri | Not yet recorded |
| 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 | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #6 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #13 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | high | medium |
What the data shows
- Henry is recorded with a Germanic, via Old French Henri origin, while Thomas is recorded with a Aramaic, via Greek origin.
- Henry and Thomas both have 2 syllables.
- Henry's recorded meaning differs from Thomas'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 Henry a "high" Data Confidence level and Thomas a "medium" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
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
Thomas
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #177 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in Norway, in 1974 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #13 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys