Denis

Meaning: Follower of Dionysus
Origin: Variant of Dennis · the Greek god of wine (from Ancient Greek)

Nicknames: Denny

Boy's name · #1712 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Popularity over time

Few names move less than Denis — on the books since 1880, #1712 in 2025, and dependable in between. Roughly 21,000 boys share it.

Across the states

See where Denis is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 9 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Denis ranks in other countries and regions.

#74 in Czechia (2025) · #195 in Poland (2025) · #234 in Ireland (2025) · #260 in Slovenia (2025) · #326 in N. Ireland (2025) · #408 in Belgium (2025) · #434 in Ecuador (2025) · #476 in Austria (2025) · #484 in England & Wales (2025) · #813 in Scotland (2025) · #816 in Switzerland (2025) · #977 in Sweden (2025) and 3 more.

Famous Denises

Denis Diderot — French Enlightenment philosopher writer and encyclopædist (1713–1784)
Denis Mukwege — Congolese gynecologist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate
Denis Sassou-Nguesso — Politician (born 1943)
Denis Villeneuve — Canadian film director and screenwriter (born 1967)
Denis Cheryshev — Russian footballer

In stories & tradition

Denis Nayland Smith — The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu (book)
Denis Breen — Ulysses (book)
Denis — Guilt (film)

What Denises become

Among 4,053 notable people named Denis:

Sports figures appear 1.44× more often than among typical names — e.g. Denis Cheryshev, Russian footballer.

Spellings & nicknames

Together with its spelling variant Dennis (#707), Denis would rank around #599 with about 480 births last year — the newborns split about 80/20 between Dennis and Denis.

Similar names: Dennis · Monte · Denim · Jacques · Daryl · Gerard

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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