English (chiefly West Midlands): 1. from the Middle English personal name Henn(e), a short form of Henry. 2. from Middle English hen(e) ‘hen’ (Old English henn, related to hana ‘cock’), applied as a metonymic occupational name for a keeper or seller of poultry or as a nickname, perhaps for a fussy man. 3. Dutch: from a short form of the personal name Johannes (see John); or a variant of Hein. 4. German: variant of Henne 1 and 3.