# Harry S Truman or Harry S. Truman? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 14, 2007, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-s-truman-or-harry-s-truman/392197 "2007-02-14T14:54:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2007, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-s-truman-or-harry-s-truman/392197/21 "2007-02-15T17:15:46Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray] Although “Harry” is originally a diminutive of “Henry” (or, less commonly, “Harold”), I’ve never personally met someone named “Henry,” although I have met a small number of Harrys. Aside: “Harry” is also Indian English slang for a Bihari. “Bihar” = “Harryland.” Joke derivation that the state was named after an Engilshman named “B. Harry.” [/QUOTE] Actually, the reason I asked is that my son is named Henry, but we call him Harry (and, based on the comments I’ve gotten, nobody else has ever heard of this). I was hoping for an example (besides Prince Harry). ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2007, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-s-truman-or-harry-s-truman/392197/22 "2007-02-15T17:33:35Z")
[QUOTE=C3] Actually, the reason I asked is that my son is named Henry, but we call him Harry (and, based on the comments I’ve gotten, nobody else has ever heard of this). I was hoping for an example (besides Prince Harry). [/QUOTE] Henry “Harry Hotspur” Percy, 1364-1403 Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee, 1756-1818 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2007, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-s-truman-or-harry-s-truman/392197/23 "2007-02-15T17:39:45Z")
Henry A. “Harry” Ironside, 1876-1951 A. Henry “Harry” Cobby, 1894-1955 Henry “Harry” Howell Jr. (director of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc.) Henry “Harry” Chase, 1853-1889 Henry “Harry” Camnitz, 1884-1951 Henry T. “Harry” Burleigh, 1866-1949 W. Henry “Harry” Lambright (professor at Syracuse University) Henry “Harry” Jekyll (fictional character) ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2007, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-s-truman-or-harry-s-truman/392197/24 "2007-02-15T21:29:02Z")
(As an aside) When I went to jr. high school the school was named “Harry Ells.” We always wondered who “Ells” was and why he was “Hairy”. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2007, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-s-truman-or-harry-s-truman/392197/25 "2007-02-16T18:31:23Z")
> [@](#): > > I’ve never personally met someone named “Henry,” although I have met a small number of Harrys. I’ve met a number of Henrys, but no Harrys. It might be a geographical thing. ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2007, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-s-truman-or-harry-s-truman/392197/26 "2007-02-16T19:16:48Z")
[QUOTE=Polycarp] An apocryphal book dedication. Chaim, from someone who eschewed the [serial comma](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_comma). Note: Before calling it “apocryphal” I did a quick Google for its origin. Would you believe that nowhere on the net is that documented; even Snopes has no listing! This calls for the diligent researchers of GQ to correct this oversight. 😉 [/QUOTE] I Googled: “my parents, Ayn Rand and God.” and got 871 cites, mostly calling it apocryphal. Your Google Fu is weak, Grasshopper. Tris ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2007, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-s-truman-or-harry-s-truman/392197/27 "2007-02-16T19:27:11Z")
[QUOTE=Triskadecamus] I Googled: “my parents, Ayn Rand and God.” and got 871 cites, mostly calling it apocryphal. Your Google Fu is weak, Grasshopper. Tris [/QUOTE] It is not my Google Fu but my Prose-jitsu that is weak, my friend. I got the same lot of sites for cites (say that five time fast!); what I meant is that, although that unlikely couple is all over the net as the apocryphal parental dedication, nobody says who wrote that dedication where or when. It was that lack of an origin for the widespread meme that I suggested research about. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-s-truman-or-harry-s-truman/392197.md?page=1)