Henrich

Henrich is a personal name used as both a masculine given name and a surname. It is a variant of the Germanic name Heinrich, derived from Old High German elements haim ("home") and ric ("ruler" or "power"), and carries the meaning "ruler of the home" or "home ruler." The form Henrich appears in several languages and regions as an alternative spelling or regional pronunciation, and it is related to other cognates such as Henry, Henrik, Enrique, Henrique, and Enrico.

As a given name, Henrich has been used historically in German-speaking areas and in some Slavic-speaking communities, where orthographic and phonetic adaptations produced the Henrich form. As a surname, Henrich typically originated as a patronymic, indicating descent from an ancestor with the given name Henrich or Heinrich. Surnames of this type are common across Europe and were often stabilized in spelling during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Contemporary bearers of the name Henrich can be found in academic, cultural, and public life; one notable modern figure is Joseph Henrich, an American anthropologist known for work on cultural evolution and human behavior. Variations in spelling, pronunciation, and frequency reflect local linguistic traditions and migration patterns. The name remains in use today both as a traditional given name and as a family name.