Is Hank short for anything?

Yes. Hank is a nickname in most old records, and it usually points to Henry. Less often it stands in for Hendrick and Harold. Expect it in American and Dutch-immigrant records, mostly 1700s-1900s. A record that says Hank and a record that says Henry can easily be the same person, so search both names before you rule anyone out.

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FAQs

Is Hank a nickname?+

In old records, almost always - it stands for Henry or Hendrick. Treat it as a pointer to a formal name until the documents prove otherwise.

Is Hank a real name on its own?+

It mostly rode on Henry in the eras we track (1700s-1900s). If your ancestor's papers only ever say Hank, record it as written and keep Henry as a candidate.

How does this nickname lookup work?+

It searches a curated dataset of historical nickname-to-formal-name mappings - in both directions - entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded or stored on our servers.

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