Boy · #1,575 in 2026

Denis

Denis is a masculine given name. Notable people with the name include:Denis of Paris, French bishop and Christian martyr Denis, Hungarian prelate Denis, son of Ampud, Hungarian baron Denis the Carthusian (1402-1471), Roman Catholic theologian and mystic Denis of Hungary, Hungarian-born Aragonese knight Denis of Portugal (1261-1325), king of Portugal Denis of the Nativity (1600-1638), French…

  • French
  • Russian
  • English
  • German
Current Rank
#1,575
Peak Rank
#277 (1952)
Total Babies
21K
5-Yr Trend
+8%
1938
First Year
2026
Last Year
2008
Peak Year
#3450
Peak Rank
884
Total Count
75
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Denis

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Denis is a masculine given name. Notable people with the name include:Denis of Paris, French bishop and Christian martyr Denis, Hungarian prelate Denis, son of Ampud, Hungarian baron Denis the Carthusian (1402-1471), Roman Catholic theologian and mystic Denis of Hungary, Hungarian-born Aragonese knight Denis of Portugal (1261-1325), king of Portugal Denis of the Nativity (1600-1638), French…

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • French
  • Russian
  • English
  • German
  • Czech
  • Slovak
  • Slovene
  • Romanian
  • Croatian
  • Albanian
  • Portuguese

The Story of Denis

American parents first put Denis on the record books as a baby boy name in 1880, with 10 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1952, when 618 Deniss were born — ranking #277 that year. About 24% of every Denis on record arrived during the 1950s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Denis ranks #1,575 for baby boys with 110 births, gradually rising (+8%). All told, over 21K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Variants & Related Forms of Denis

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Denis. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Names that sound like Denis

Phonetically similar names — useful when Denis is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Denis

What does the name Denis mean?
Denis is a masculine given name. Notable people with the name include:Denis of Paris, French bishop and Christian martyr Denis, Hungarian prelate Denis, son of Ampud, Hungarian baron Denis the Carthusian (1402-1471), Roman Catholic theologian and mystic Denis of Hungary, Hungarian-born Aragonese knight Denis of Portugal (1261-1325), king of Portugal Denis of the Nativity (1600-1638), French…
What is the origin of the name Denis?
Denis has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: French, Russian, English, German, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Romanian, Croatian, Albanian, Portuguese.
How popular is Denis in 2026?
In 2026, Denis ranks #1,575 among boys' names in the U.S., with 110 babies given the name that year.
When was Denis most popular?
Denis reached its peak popularity in 1952, ranking #277 that year with 618 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Denis most popular?
Denis has historically been most popular in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Denis.
Is Denis a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Denis is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.
What names go well with Denis?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Denis include Alphonse, Herschel, Zyaire. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Denis?
Common variants and related forms of Denis include Den, Dennis, Denny. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

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About the name Denis

Denis is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 21K births in the dataset. Denis's peak popularity came in 1952 when it ranked #277. Use the chart and map above to compare Denis's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.