Dennis

Did you know?

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

⭐ Famous Dennis

Dennis M. Ritchie

American computer scientist, co-inventor of the Unix operating system and the C programming language (1941–2011)

Choose Dennis and your child shares a first name with Dennis M. Ritchie, an American computer scientist, co-inventor of the Unix operating system and the C programming language. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Dennis, like who?” Dennis M. Ritchie's Wikipedia article is available in 93 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Dennis M. Ritchie on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Denise Panyik-Dale, CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 4,482 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Dennis, 381 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Dennis would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryDennis has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Denniss, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1949, when it ranked #16. Today it's #707, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowDennis was 3.1× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 1,462 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 4,482.
• 🍂TrendDennis has slipped 60 places over the last five years and now sits at #707. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedDennis is most popular in Maryland, where it ranks #364, followed by Nebraska (#377) and Indiana (#452). It's in the top 1,000 in 26 states.
• 💬MeaningDennis is an English form of Dionysius, which means “follower of Dionysus”. Our records link it to English and Greek roots.

About the name Dennis

Dennis is a boy name of English and Greek origin meaning “follower of Dionysus”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with D and ending in “-nis”. US birth records list Dennis for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1949, when it ranked #16 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #707, with 381 babies.

Origin:English namesGreek names