Henderson

Henderson is a surname meaning son of Henry, formed through a familiar version of Henry and a patronymic ending. Henry itself has older Germanic elements associated with home and rule, but the most direct meaning of Henderson is the family relationship. The name is particularly associated with Scottish surname history and later English-language use.

As a given name, Henderson can honor a Henry or preserve an inherited family surname without repeating the exact older first name. It also has a literary connection through Saul Bellow's novel Henderson the Rain King, whose central character bears the surname. That joins a modern literary association with the much older custom of identifying a person through a parent's name.