Denis

Did you know?

A few things about Denis you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Denis

Denis Diderot

French Enlightenment philosopher writer and encyclopædist (1713–1784)

Choose Denis and your child shares a first name with Denis Diderot, a French Enlightenment philosopher writer and encyclopædist. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Denis, like who?” Denis Diderot's Wikipedia article is available in 151 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Denis Diderot on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Pierre-Michel Alix, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 17,986 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Denis, 95 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Denis would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryDenis has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Deniss, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1952, when it ranked #277. Today it's #1,708, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🍂TrendDenis has slipped 35 places over the last five years and now sits at #1,708. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedDenis is most popular in Maryland, where it ranks #702, followed by Colorado (#756). It's in the top 1,000 in 2 states.
• 💬MeaningIn French, Denis means “of Dionysus”. Our records link it to French, Greek and Russian roots.

About the name Denis

Denis is a boy name of French, Greek and Russian origin meaning “of Dionysus”. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with D and ending in “-nis”. US birth records list Denis for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 141 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1952, when it ranked #277 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #1,708, with 95 babies.

Origin:French namesGreek namesRussian names