boys' name ★ peaked 1952

Denis

Gender Boy · 4% girls Rank 2025 #1,712 Trend → Stable

A male given name from Ancient Greek, a mostly British and Irish spelling variant of Dennis.

Rank 2025
#1,712
among boys · ↓69 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
101
named Denis · -9% vs 2024
How common
1 in 17,980
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1952
625 babies
All-time total
21,606
#827 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Denis popularity over time

21,606 babies have been named Denis since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.10.20.30.418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 81 81 8 – #547
1890s – 68 68 7 -16% #614
1900s – 55 55 6 -19% #704
1910s – 300 300 30 +445% #937
1920s – 616 616 62 +105% #700
1930s 7 1,648 1,655 166 +169% #317
1940s 23 3,713 3,736 374 +126% #307
1950s 59 4,953 5,012 501 +34% #277
1960s 74 2,755 2,829 283 -44% #416
1970s 72 1,398 1,470 147 -48% #570
1980s 111 1,025 1,136 114 -23% #781
1990s 154 1,062 1,216 122 +7% #967
2000s 255 1,365 1,620 162 +33% #1,076
2010s 63 1,094 1,157 116 -29% #1,358
2020s (to 2025) 55 600 655 109 -6% #1,551

Where Denis is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 96 0.06 outside top 500
2027 96 0.06 outside top 500
2028 97 0.06 outside top 500
2029 97 0.06 outside top 500
2030 98 0.06 outside top 500

Where Denis is most popular

Boys named Denis per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.058 per 1,000. Strongest in Maryland, Florida, and New Jersey.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Denis born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Maryland 18 0.151 +158%
Florida 51 0.108 +84%
New Jersey 19 0.094 +61%
New York 39 0.090 +54%
Texas 60 0.068 +16%
Illinois 12 0.047 -20%
Colorado 6 0.046 -20%
Tennessee 8 0.044 -24%
Virginia 8 0.042 -28%
California 38 0.042 -29%
Pennsylvania 11 0.041 -29%
Washington 5 0.031 -48%
North Carolina 6 0.023 -60%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Denis

Denis is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,712 in 2025 with 95 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 21,606 American babies have been named Denis. Its peak came in 1952, when 625 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Denis stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Denis?

The median living Denis is about 59 years old; half are between 29 and 71. An estimated 15 thousand people named Denis are alive in the United States today.

median 59 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Denis year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 6 #13,640 95 #1,712
2024 8 #11,367 103 #1,643
2023 – – 113 #1,551
2022 7 #12,578 102 #1,681
2021 10 #9,752 92 #1,755
2020 24 #5,200 95 #1,675
2019 – – 123 #1,421
2018 5 #16,310 90 #1,726
2017 – – 95 #1,664
2016 5 #16,924 88 #1,756
2015 – – 110 #1,505
2014 6 #15,073 102 #1,560
2013 9 #11,255 120 #1,401
2012 7 #13,868 124 #1,360
2011 13 #8,758 117 #1,415
2010 18 #6,991 125 #1,358
2009 25 #5,588 144 #1,244
2008 34 #4,477 132 #1,320
2007 27 #5,278 158 #1,134
2006 28 #4,992 158 #1,107
2005 28 #4,742 141 #1,145
2004 26 #4,972 147 #1,082
2003 26 #4,844 144 #1,076
2002 25 #4,802 117 #1,195
2001 17 #6,401 114 #1,192
2000 19 #5,769 110 #1,220
1995 9 #8,957 105 #1,110
1990 14 #6,214 111 #1,001
1985 11 #6,136 98 #919
1980 15 #4,788 123 #790
1975 7 #7,353 122 #754
1970 10 #5,140 202 #570
1965 5 #6,761 270 #474
1960 11 #3,965 363 #416
1955 5 #6,044 491 #334
1950 6 #4,864 481 #312
1945 5 #4,703 327 #329
1940 – – 272 #346
1935 – – 170 #431
1930 – – 88 #664
1925 – – 68 #804
1920 – – 48 #992
1915 – – 38 #1,042
1910 – – 9 #1,136
1905 – – 8 #942
1900 – – 13 #704
1895 – – 12 #614
1890 – – 7 #826
1885 – – 9 #658
1880 – – 10 #609

Famous people named Denis

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Denis Villeneuve Denis Villeneuve Canadian filmmaker (born 1967) Contemporary
  2. 2 Denis Leary Denis Leary American comedian and actor (born 1957) Contemporary
  3. 3 Denis O'Hare Denis O'Hare American actor (born 1962) Contemporary
  4. 4 Denis Johnson Denis Johnson American novelist and poet (1949–2017) Contemporary
  5. 5 Denis Law Denis Law Scottish footballer (1940–2025) Contemporary
  6. 6 Denis Lawson Denis Lawson Scottish actor (born 1947) Contemporary
  7. 7 Denis Thatcher Denis Thatcher English businessman (1915–2003) Contemporary
  8. 8 Denis Irwin Denis Irwin Irish footballer (born 1965) Contemporary
  9. 9 Denis Ten Denis Ten Kazakh figure skater (1993–2018) Contemporary
  10. 10 Denis Sassou Nguesso Denis Sassou Nguesso President of the Republic of the Congo (1979–1992; since 1997) b. 1943 · Contemporary
  11. 11 Denis Diderot Denis Diderot French philosopher and writer (1713–1784) 18th century
  12. 12 Denis Healey Denis Healey British politician (1917–2015) Contemporary
  13. 13 Denis Ménochet Denis Ménochet French actor (born 1976) Contemporary
  14. 14 Denis Suárez Denis Suárez Spanish footballer (born 1994) Contemporary
  15. 15 Denis Lavant Denis Lavant French actor (born 1961) Contemporary
  16. 16 Denis of Portugal Denis of Portugal King of Portugal from 1279 to 1325 1261–1325 · Medieval
  17. 17 Denis Goldberg Denis Goldberg South African anti-apartheid activist (1933–2020) Contemporary
  18. 18 Denis Mukwege Denis Mukwege Congolese humanitarian (born 1955) Contemporary
  19. 19 Denis Papin Denis Papin French physicist, mathematician and inventor (1647–1713) 17th century
  20. 20 Denis Urubko Denis Urubko Russian-Polish mountaineer b. 1973 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Denis, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Denis?

The median living Denis is about 59 years old. Half of all living Deniss are between 29 and 71 years old.

How many people named Denis are alive today?

An estimated 15 thousand people named Denis are alive in the United States, based on 21,606 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Denis mean?

A male given name from Ancient Greek, a mostly British and Irish spelling variant of Dennis.

How popular is the name Denis in 2025?

Denis ranked #1,712 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 95 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Denis?

21,606 babies have been named Denis in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Denis most popular?

Denis peaked in 1952, when 625 newborns received the name.

Is Denis a boy or girl name?

Denis is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 96% of babies with the name.

Is the name Denis rising or falling?

Denis has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Denis become more popular?

Denis looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 98 boys named Denis in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Denis?

Well-known people named Denis include Denis Villeneuve (film director), Denis Leary (comedian), Denis O'Hare (actor).

Names like Denis

Names that sound and feel close to Denis: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Denis with similar names → More names starting with D →