Hennessy
Feminine · “descendant of Aonghus”
Hennessy is given to both — 1,568 girls and 62 boys since 1880. See other names given to both
Hennessy is an Irish surname, and its root is one of the most consequential names in early Ireland — Aonghus, the god of youth and love.
How old is the name Hennessy?
Hennessy first appears in US birth records in 1991 — 34 years ago. The typical Hennessy alive today was born around 2011, making them about 14 years old. About 1,600 people named Hennessy are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Hennessy most popular?
Hennessy peaked in 2019, reaching #2231 nationally. Today it ranks #3903, 1,672 places below that high. See the whole 2019 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Aonghus to Hennessy
The story of Hennessy
The Ó hAonghusa were families in Clare, Meath and Cork. A branch went to France after the Jacobite defeats — the Wild Geese — and one of them founded a cognac house at Cognac in 1765, which is why an Irish surname is one of the best-known French brandy names in the world. That brand, rather than the Irish families, accounts for most current American recognition.
Meaningscholars disagree
descendant of Aonghus
From Irish Ó hAonghusa; Aonghus is generally read as one choice or one vigor, joining aon, one, to a second element. The god of that name belongs to the Tuatha Dé Danann and the reading is standard without being certain.
How the name formed
- Aonghus
- Ó hAonghusa
- Hennessy
Related forms: Ó hAonghusa · Aonghas
Pronouncing Hennessy
HEN-uh-see
Three syllables, first stressed. There is no variation in English.
Nicknames for Hennessy
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1991
- Most girls named
- 201982 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2231reached in 2019
- Change vs 2024
- −15.9%37 in 2025, from 44
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Hennessy in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Ó hAonghusa in Irish — same name
- Aonghas in Scottish Gaelic — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Florida.
Hennessys among us
people named Hennessy are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 43,440 born in 2025 was named Hennessy
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Sherica test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Hennessy's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Sherica climbed just as high around 1981, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Sherica's path sketches the road Hennessy is walking now.
Hennessy sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Hennessy is headed
Hennessy is easing off slowly — about 16% fewer babies a year by 2030 if the trend continues. Its history is short or jumpy, though, so read this as a sketch rather than a promise.
Low confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Hennessy beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Hennessy in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A documented Irish surname with a genuinely remarkable journey behind it.
- Read correctly on sight by every English speaker.
- The Irish god at the root of it is a real figure of early literature.
- A cognac brand is the first and strongest association for most Americans.
- It reads as a surname to people meeting it in front of another one.
- Naming a child after a spirits brand will draw comment.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Hennessy to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Hennessy? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Hennessy
Feminine · #3903 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Hennessys are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,600 people named Hennessy are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Hennessy in 2025?
- Hennessy ranks #3903 among US girl names in 2025, with 37 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Hennessy?
- About 1 in every 43,440 US girls born in 2025 was named Hennessy — 37 in all.
- Will my child share the name Hennessy with classmates?
- Hennessy will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Hennessy
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Kay#3903 · Sonja#3903 · Truth#3903 · Gisela#3903 · Kaylene#3903 · Bronwyn#3903 · Cristal#3903 · Georgianna#3903
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Hennessy? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Hennessy and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle