Hendrik

Hendrik is a masculine given name widely used in Dutch-speaking regions and among Afrikaans-speaking communities. It is the Dutch and Afrikaans form of Henry, itself derived from the Germanic name Heimric (or Henri-ric), composed of elements meaning “home” or “estate” and “ruler” or “power.” Over the centuries, the name spread through Christian Europe and became established in the Low Countries and their former colonies.

In the Netherlands and Flanders, Hendrik remains common; as Afrikaans-speaking populations settled in South Africa, the name expanded there as well. Variants and related forms include Hendrick, Hendrikus (a formal or Latinized form), and the feminine Hendrika. Diminutives such as Henk or Henk are commonly used in informal speech. Surnames such as Hendriks or Hendrickx are derived from the given name and appear across Dutch- and Flemish-speaking communities.

Notable people named Hendrik include the Dutch physicist Hendrik Antoon Lorentz (Nobel Prize in Physics, 1902), the Dutch-American historian Hendrik Willem van Loon, and the South African statesman Hendrik Verwoerd, known for his role in apartheid. The name has a long-standing presence in Dutch and Afrikaans cultures and continues to be used in contemporary contexts, reflecting its historical roots and broad cultural reach.