Hetty

♀ Girl

How to Pronounce Hetty

Pronounced HET-ee /ˈhɛt.i/Medium

Meaning: Hetty is a nineteenth-century pet form of Henrietta, the feminine of Henry meaning home ruler, and also of Hester or Esther, a Persian and Hebrew name linked to the word for star; the fuller name it shortens is not always recorded.Low

In 30 seconds: Hetty is an old-fashioned pet form of Henrietta, or sometimes of Hester and Esther. It was used quietly for United States girls in the early twentieth century (said HET-ee) as a warm, homely nickname-name.

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Origin LowEnglish, Hebrew

MeaningHetty is a nineteenth-century pet form of Henrietta, the feminine of Henry meaning home ruler, and also of Hester or Esther, a Persian and Hebrew name linked to the word for star; the fuller name it shortens is not always recorded.

U.S. rank (2012)#17841 ↘ Falling

2012 U.S. births5 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1918

Total births (all-time)≈ 720

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Hetty belonged to the age of pet-form given names, standing in for Henrietta or Hester. It appeared modestly in the decades around 1918 and slipped from fashion as those parent names themselves fell away.

It was never common, given to only a couple dozen girls a year even at its peak, and it reads now as a distinctly vintage nickname-name. Hetty has drawn a little fresh interest lately among parents drawn to cosy Victorian short forms, but it remains rare.

Did you know? Hetty served as a familiar short form for several formal names at once, from Henrietta to Hester; the American financier Hetty Green, called the Witch of Wall Street, kept the name in the public eye around this period.

Overall data confidence 42%

References - Hetty — Pet form of Henrietta or Hester/Esther; vintage nickname-name

Variations

HettieHenriettaHester

Nicknames

HetEtty

Famous Bearers

★Hetty Green (1834-1916)
American businesswoman and financier known as the Witch of Wall Street

If you like Hetty…

Henrietta— the formal name Hetty shortens

Hester— another parent name behind Hetty

Hattie— a like vintage pet-form girl's name

Nettie— a similar cosy -ie nickname-name of the era

Explore names like Hetty

By themerare english vintage nickname-name

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Hetty mean?

It is a pet form of Henrietta, meaning home ruler, or of Hester and Esther, linked to the word for star.

How do you pronounce Hetty?

It is said HET-ee /ˈhɛt.i/, two syllables stressed on the first.

Is Hetty a boy or girl name?

Hetty is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Hetty?

It has always been rare, given to only a couple dozen girls a year at its peak in the early twentieth century.