Henning is a

surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

, as well as a

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

Etymology of the surname

The surname originated in

East Prussia East Prussia was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's ...

. It is derived from "Henneke", which is a

diminutive A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment, and sometimes to belittle s ...

Johannes Johannes is a Medieval Latin form of the personal name that usually appears as " John" in English language contexts. It is a variant of the Greek and Classical Latin variants (Ιωάννης, '' Ioannes''), itself derived from the Hebrew name '' Y ...

. The

Low German Low German is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language variety, language spoken mainly in Northern Germany and the northeastern Netherlands. The dialect of Plautdietsch is also spoken in the Russian Mennonite diaspora worldwide. "Low" ...

suffix ''-ing'' means "son of". The name is indigenous to the North German areas

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Wismar and Güstrow. ...

Hannover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

Holstein Holstein (; ; ; ; ) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider (river), Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost States of Germany, state of Germany. Holstein once existed as the German County of Holstein (; 8 ...

and

Pommern Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian, Pomeranian and Kuyavian-Pomeranian voivodesh ...

; especially the towns

Stralsund Stralsund (; Swedish language, Swedish: ''Strålsund''), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Stralsund (German language, German: ''Hansestadt Stralsund''), is the fifth-largest city in the northeastern German federal state of Mecklen ...

and

Greifswald Greifswald (), officially the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald (, Low German: ''Griepswoold'') is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania after Rostock, Schwerin and Neubrandenburg. In 2021 it surpa ...

, in

, near the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

is well known as places where the name originated. Both towns formed part of Denmark up until the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

(1618–1648). Between the years 1300 and 1500 the name was used as a popular nickname for "the Son of John (Johannes)". In the old

Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages *Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originatin ...

dialect a rooster was called a “Hen” (hen = male, henne = female). The

(or North German) “ing” was added to indicate that it was a name deduced from the name of a father or

ancestor An ancestor, also known as a forefather, fore-elder, or a forebear, is a parent or ( recursively) the parent of an antecedent (i.e., a grandparent, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent and so forth). ''Ancestor'' is "any person from ...

. The name originated amongst noblemen and knights, such as:Bahlow H.: “Deutsches Namenlexikon”. Familien und Vornamen nach Ursprung und Sinn erklärt. München, 1977, p228 * Henning = Johannes Older, who lived during 1290 in the vicinity of

* Henning = Johannes Brunswick, who lived during 1305 at Kolberg. Today Kolberg is in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, but during 1305 it formed part of the country which is today Germany. * Henning = Johannes Dotenberg (Knight) who lived during 1326 in the vicinity of Greiffswald. It is thought that he could be a descendant of Johannes Older. * Earl Henning of Irkesleve, who lived during 1330 in Haldslohe

Distribution

During the 13th and 14th centuries the descendants of these first Hennings spread over the areas of what is now Germany, Denmark and Norway. During the 17th and 18th centuries, several Hennings moved elsewhere, including the

New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...

. Today, one of the biggest Henning clans is found in South Africa. However, Henning families exist in almost every country in the Western world. A few Henning descendants remained in the vicinity of

and

. It is known that Jacob Henning (the Old) was born during 1635 at

Demmin Demmin () is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, in north-eastern Germany. It was the capital of the former district of Demmin. Geography Demmin lies on the West Pomeranian plain at the confluen ...

(near

). Jacob Henning and his descendants became known as the Henning Family of

Karnin Karnin is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the no ...

is approximately 25 km from Stralsund. Jacob Henning and his descendants were wealthy and important property owners, who lived in a

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

. Their castle was confiscated in 1945, during the Second World War, by the communist government who took over

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

. Consequently the family spread across

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

People named Henning

Surname

* A. J. Henning (born 2002), American football player *

Andrew Henning Andrew Harriot Henning LLB (17 May 1865 – 2 December 1947) was a lawyer and politician in Western Australia. History Andrew Henning was born in North Adelaide, South Australia, a son of Rudolph Wilhelm Emil Henning (died 1884) MHA and Young ...

(1863–1947), lawyer and politician in Western Australia *

Anne Henning Anne Elizabeth Henning (born September 6, 1955) is an American retired speed skater. She grew up in Northbrook, Illinois, and started in short track speed skating, but then, like many short track speed skaters before and after her, switched to l ...

(born 1955), American former speed skater *

Cameron Henning Cameron John Henning (born November 24, 1960) is a Canadian former competitive swimmer, who competed for his native country at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. There he won the bronze medal in the men's 200-metre backstroke. ...

(born 1960), Canadian swimmer *

Dieter Henning Dieter Henning (born 5 June 1936 in Berlin; died 13 December 2007 in Aachen) was a German engineer and chairman of the board of management of Rheinbraun AG from 1993 to 1999. Biography After studying mining, Henning worked as a research assist ...

(1936–2007), German engineer *

Dan Henning Daniel Ernest Henning, (born June 21, 1942) is an American former professional football player and coach. A quarterback, he played college football for the William & Mary Tribe before playing professionally for the San Diego Chargers of the Am ...

(born 1942), American former National Football League quarterback and head coach *

Doug Henning Douglas James Henning (May 3, 1947 – February 7, 2000) was a Canadian magician, illusionist, escape artist and politician. Early life Henning was born in the Fort Garry district of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Henning became interested in magi ...

(1947–2000), Canadian magician and illusionist *

Eva Henning Eva Henning (born Eva Wetlesen; 10 May 1920 – 18 April 2016) was a Swedish stage and movie actress. Career Born in Newark, New York, US, Henning was trained at the Royal Dramatic Theatre's acting school (1938–40) in Sweden and made her f ...

(1920–2016), Swedish actress *

Gerda Henning Gerda Henning née Heydorn (March 2, 1891 – June 26, 1951) was a Danish weaver, textile designer and educator. Biography Born Gerda Heydorn in Fredriksberg, Denmark, she was the daughter of a grocer. From 1910 to 1917 she worked as a china pain ...

(1891–1951), Danish textile designer *

Hal Henning Harold W. "Hal" Henning Jr. (1919–1988) was an American dentist from Napierville Illinois, who was chair of the U.S. Olympic Swim Committee and then president of the International Swimming Federation, from 1972 through 1976. During his work ...

(1919–1988), American swimming administrator *

Harold Henning Harold Henning (3 October 1934 – 1 January 2004) was a South African professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour. He won professional tournaments on the highest level in Africa, Australia, Asia, North America and Eu ...

(1934–2004), South African golfer * Holger Henning (1905–1981), Swedish Navy vice admiral * John Henning (1771–1851), Scottish sculptor *

John Henning (journalist) John Henning (May 22, 1937 – July 7, 2010) was an American news reporter and political analyst who spent many years on Boston television before becoming a commentator on radio. Biography Early life and education Born in New York City, the son ...

(1937–2010), American reporter and political analyst * John F. Henning (1915–2009), American labor leader and ambassador * Klaus Henning (born 1945), German information scientist *

Linda Kaye Henning Linda Kaye Henning (born September 16, 1944 in California) is an American actress and singer most notable for starring in the 1960s sitcom ''Petticoat Junction''. Career Henning began to focus on acting in her late teens. Her career began in 1 ...

(born 1944), American TV actress *

Lorne Henning Lorne Henning (born February 22, 1952) is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player. He most recently has served as a scout for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). Career Born in Melfort, Saskatchewan, H ...

(born 1952), Canadian ice-hockey executive and former player *

Megan Henning Megan Henning is an American former actress. She is known for playing Meredith Davies on '' 7th Heaven'' and Monica Shaw on David E. Kelley's ''The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire''. From 2008-2009 she played the recurring role of Judy Ho ...

(), American actress *

Paul Henning Paul William Henning (September 16, 1911 – March 25, 2005) was an American TV producer and screenwriter. Most famous for creating the television sitcom ''The Beverly Hillbillies'', he was also crucial in developing the "rural" comedies ''Pet ...

(1911–2005), American TV producer and writer best known for ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' * Rachel Henning (1826–1914), Australian letter writer * Rasmus Henning (born 1975), Danish triathlete *

Richard Henning Richard G. Henning is an American Catholic prelate who has served as Archbishop of Boston since 2024. He previously served as Bishop of Providence from 2023 to 2024 and before that was an auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Rockville Centre fr ...

(born 1964), American Catholic bishop and Archbishop of Boston *

Sonja Henning Sonja L. Henning (born October 4, 1969) is an American Attorneys in the United States, attorney and former collegiate and professional women's basketball player. Born in Jackson, Tennessee, she grew up in Racine, Wisconsin, where she attended Wil ...

(born 1969), American basketball player * Thomas Henning (born 1956), German astrophysicist *

Thomas Henning (artist) Thomas Henning (born 26 January 1984) is an Australian writer, director, producer and artist working in theatre and film. He was co-founder and co-director of the Black Lung theatre company, known also as The Black Lung Theatre and Whaling firm al ...

, Australian writer, stage director, producer and artist * Uno Henning (1895–1970), Swedish actor *

Walter Bruno Henning Walter Bruno Henning (August 26, 1908 – January 8, 1967) was a German scholar of Middle Iranian languages and literature, especially of the corpus discovered by the Turpan expeditions of the early 20th century. __TOC__ Biography Walter Hennin ...

(1908–1967), German scholar of Middle Iranian languages

Given name

Henning Baum Henning Baum (born 20 September 1972) is a German film and TV actor. He is best known for his performance as Michael 'Mick' Brisgau in the TV Series '' Der letzte Bulle'' (''The Last Cop''). he is represented by Warren Bacci at TTA. Selected fi ...

(born 1972), German film and TV actor *

Henning Berg Henning Stille Berg (; born 1 September 1969) is a Norwegian football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of Omonia. His career lasted from 1988 to 2004, most notably in the Premier League where he won titles with both Black ...

(born 1969), Norwegian football manager and former player * Henning Braunisch, American electrical engineer * Henning Dedekind (1562–1626), German composer *

Henning Engelsen Henning Engelsen (5 February 1918 – 8 September 2005) was a Norwegian woodcarver and illustrator. Biography Henning Engelsen was born at Sandefjord in Vestfold, Norway. He started his woodcarving career in 1947 in a small workshop at To ...

(1918–2005), Norwegian wood carver * Henning Fritz (born 1974), German former handball goalkeeper * Henning Harnisch (born 1968), German retired basketball player * Henning Hyllested (born 1954), Danish politician * Henning Illies (1924–1982), German geologist *

Henning Jensen (disambiguation) Henning Jensen (1949–2017) was a Danish football striker, who played 21 national team games. Henning Jensen may also refer to: * Henning Gronemann (born Henning Jensen, 1929–2016), Danish football striker, who played one national team game * H ...

Henning von Krusenstierna Admiral Henning Wilhelm Mauritz von Krusenstierna (19 February 1862 – 30 October 1933) was a senior Swedish Navy officer. von Krusenstierna began his military career in the Swedish Navy in 1882 and participated in a world voyage aboard the fri ...

(1862–1933), Swedish admiral * Henning Larsen (disambiguation) * Henning Leo (1885–1953), Swedish politician *

Henning Mankell Henning Georg Mankell (; 3 February 1948 – 5 October 2015) was a Swedish crime writer, children's author, and dramatist, best known for a series of mystery novels starring his most noted creation, Inspector Kurt Wallander. He also wrote a ...

(1948–2015), Swedish crime writer, children's author and dramatist * Henning Mankell (composer) (1868–1930), Swedish composer, grandfather of the above * Henning May, German musician * Henning Rübsam, German-born American choreographer and director * Henning Scheich (1942–2025), German brain researcher and psychiatrist *

Henning Solberg Henning Solberg (born 8 January 1973) is a Norway, Norwegian Rallying, rally and rallycross driver. Together with his female co-driver Ilka Minor, he currently competes in the World Rally Championship (WRC) with cars of M-Sport. Solberg is the o ...

(born 1973), Norwegian rally driver *

Henning von Tresckow Henning Hermann Karl Robert von Tresckow (; 10 January 1901 – 21 July 1944) was a German military officer with the rank of major general in the German Army who helped organize German resistance against Adolf Hitler. He attempted to assassin ...

(1901–1944), German major general involved in the 20 July 1944 attempt to assassinate Hitler * Henning Voscherau (1941–2016), German politician, mayor of Hamburg *

Henning Wehn Henning Wehn (; born 10 April 1974) is a German stand-up comedian based in the UK. Career Wehn studied Business Administration in Münster and worked in customer relations. In 2002, he moved to the United Kingdom to work in the marketing depar ...

(born 1974), German comedian based in London

Notes

Books

* ''Die Henning Familiekroniek'',

External links

Henning Families World Wide