Henry

Eight English kings wore this name before it made its way to American nurseries, and you can still hear the Tudor court in it — the Germanic heim and ric, ruler of the home, pressed together into something both domestic and commanding. Henry fell out of fashion for most of the twentieth century, associated with grandfathers and vacuum salesmen, and then quietly came roaring back; it has been climbing the American top ten for a decade now. Two syllables, the h almost a whisper, the ending open and friendly. Bookish, presidential, kind. The rare royal name that also fits a boy building forts from couch cushions.