Henrique: It means "lord of the home," "prince of the home," or "ruler of the house."
Henrique originates in the Germanic
name Haimirich, composed by the union of the elements heim, which means "home", "house", and rik, which means "lord", "prince", "power". From this junction comes the meaning "lord of the home," "prince of the home," or "ruler of the house."
It was a
name widely used by royalty, adopted by English, Germanic,
French, and Portuguese kings.
The most famous historical figure who bore this
name was Henry VIII of England, which had its reign comprised between the years of 1509 and 1547.
Henry VIII was known to have played a
key role in breaking the Anglican Church with the Catholic Church. In addition, he was considered one of the most charismatic rulers who passed through the English throne.
The
name appeared in Portugal with D. Henrique de Burggonha, father of D. Afonso Henriques.
In England it was introduced by the Normans. It became very
popular during the Middle Ages, with the
Henry and Herry forms, which are the most common variants in the United States and England respectively.
Also it was
name of several saints and much used in Literature to denominate noble personages.
