Henderson surname meaning

Henderson is a Scottish patronymic: it means “son of Hendry,” with Hendry a Scottish form of Henry. Gaelic records give the relationship as MacEanraig or MacEanruig, showing that an English-looking surname can preserve several language layers. Scotland has multiple unrelated Henderson families, including Lowland and Highland or Gaelic-associated branches, so the surname does not identify one clan for every bearer. Hendry, Henryson, and the Gaelic forms are useful variants or equivalents. The central descent formula is secure even when a particular family’s regional line is not.