Dennis
Dennis was the 707th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 381 babies. Its best year was 1949, when it ranked 16th; the most babies were born in 1952 (24,552). Over the last ten years it has moved down 213 places. More babies were named Dennis in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning follower of Dionysus (Greek) · Greek, French
Say it DEN-is /ˈdɛnɪs/
- Rank in 2025
- #707 boys, down 60 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 381boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 195224,552 babies
- Total since 1880
- 623,692babies recorded
What does the name Dennis mean?
Dennis comes from Latin Dionysius, Greek Dionysios, meaning "of Dionysus," the Greek god of wine, as DMNES and Wiktionary agree. The French form Denis was the name of a 3rd-century saint, the patron of Paris, and the Normans brought it to England. DMNES also notes that Dionysius was sometimes used to Latinize the Irish name Donnchad. Dennis has been used in the US since 1880.
Διονύσιος (Ancient Greek, “of Dionysus”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Denis, Dionysius, Denny, Denise, Dion.
See also: Greek names, names that mean God.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Dennis', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Dennis' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Nicknames for Dennis
The usual nicknames for Dennis are Denny. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Dennis in the last five years, 7 were named Denny, against 7 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denny | Traditional | #4,284 | 136 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Denniss go by each one.
Dennis popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 2,692 since 1914.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #707 | 381 |
| 2020 | #647 | 414 |
| 2010 | #391 | 726 |
| 2000 | #251 | 1,343 |
| 1990 | #129 | 2,494 |
| 1980 | #80 | 3,804 |
| 1970 | #46 | 7,312 |
| 1960 | #31 | 14,303 |
| 1950 | #17 | 22,862 |
| 1940 | #24 | 7,845 |
| 1930 | #145 | 1,173 |
| 1920 | #207 | 624 |
| 1910 | #196 | 135 |
| 1900 | #158 | 132 |
| 1890 | #139 | 102 |
| 1880 | #106 | 128 |
How popular is Dennis, counting every spelling?
Dennis is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #587 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #707 for Dennis on its own. Together these spellings went to 485 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dennis | 381 | #707 | 1,992 |
| Denis | 95 | #1,712 | 505 |
| Denys | 9 | #8,421 | 34 |
| Dennys | — | — | 25 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Dennis?
381 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Dennis (0.11 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Dennis born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 22 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Dennis.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Dennis?
About 396,500 people born in the US named Dennis are alive today, with a median age of 68; half are between 55 and 75. That makes Dennis a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Dennis by state
How common Dennis was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Maryland (1.9×), Louisiana (1.6×), New Jersey (1.6×), Mississippi (1.5×), Virginia (1.5×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Nevada, Idaho, Oklahoma.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Dennis: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Dennis, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Dennis · Sibling names for Dennis
Questions about the name Dennis
What does Dennis mean?
Dennis means “follower of Dionysus (Greek)” (Greek, French origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Dennis?
Dennis was the 707th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 381 babies. Its best year was 1949, when it ranked 16th; the most babies were born in 1952 (24,552). Over the last ten years it has moved down 213 places. More babies were named Dennis in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Dennis a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Dennis in the US.
Where is Dennis most popular?
In 2021–2025, Dennis was most common in Maryland (0.44 per 1,000 boys), followed by Louisiana and New Jersey.