girls' name ★ peaked 1961

Denise

Meaning follower of Dionysus Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,677 Trend ↓ Falling 45%

From French Denise, from Latin Dionȳsia (feminine form of Dionȳsius, a male name of Ancient Greek origin meaning “follower of Dionysus”).

Rank 2025
#1,677
among girls · ↑223 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
123
named Denise · +17% vs 2024
How common
1 in 13,067
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1961
15,422 babies
All-time total
374,789
#99 all-time among girls
First recorded
1882
in Social Security records

Denise popularity over time

374,789 babies have been named Denise since 1882, 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
2.557.51018801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

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 12 – 12 1 – #940
1890s 6 – 6 1 -50% #1,391
1900s 58 – 58 6 +867% #1,575
1910s 203 – 203 20 +250% #1,311
1920s 633 – 633 63 +212% #679
1930s 1,646 5 1,651 165 +161% #404
1940s 10,105 17 10,122 1,012 +513% #140
1950s 123,783 321 124,104 12,410 +1126% #23
1960s 128,824 457 129,281 12,928 +4% #25
1970s 55,868 243 56,111 5,611 -57% #35
1980s 25,113 205 25,318 2,532 -55% #95
1990s 13,747 91 13,838 1,384 -45% #152
2000s 9,062 23 9,085 909 -34% #298
2010s 3,319 – 3,319 332 -63% #488
2020s (to 2025) 1,043 5 1,048 175 -47% #877

Where Denise is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (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 girls Implied rank
2026 113 0.07 outside top 500
2027 105 0.07 outside top 500
2028 99 0.06 outside top 500
2029 94 0.06 outside top 500
2030 89 0.06 outside top 500

Where Denise is most popular

Girls named Denise per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.091 per 1,000. Strongest in California, Texas, and Georgia.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Denise 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 Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
California 148 0.176 +94%
Texas 130 0.162 +78%
Georgia 30 0.132 +46%
New York 51 0.129 +42%
Tennessee 15 0.095 ≈ national
Florida 39 0.091 ≈ national
South Carolina 6 0.067 -26%
Illinois 15 0.066 -28%
Alabama 5 0.053 -41%
Maryland 5 0.047 -48%
Virginia 8 0.047 -48%
Arizona 6 0.043 -53%
North Carolina 9 0.040 -56%
New Jersey 7 0.039 -57%
Indiana 5 0.036 -61%
Michigan 6 0.033 -64%
Pennsylvania 5 0.021 -77%
Ohio 5 0.021 -77%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
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 Denise

Denise is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #1,677 in 2025 with 123 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1882, 374,789 American babies have been named Denise. Its peak came in 1961, when 15,422 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

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 Denise stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Denise?

The median living Denise is about 61 years old; half are between 53 and 68. An estimated 332 thousand people named Denise are alive in the United States today.

median 61 020406080100

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

Denise 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 123 #1,677 – –
2024 105 #1,900 – –
2023 151 #1,462 – –
2022 165 #1,389 – –
2021 192 #1,225 5 #12,592
2020 307 #877 – –
2019 162 #1,384 – –
2018 239 #1,067 – –
2017 217 #1,143 – –
2016 210 #1,188 – –
2015 270 #997 – –
2014 359 #780 – –
2013 359 #757 – –
2012 411 #685 – –
2011 473 #610 – –
2010 619 #488 – –
2009 692 #450 – –
2008 897 #365 – –
2007 881 #371 – –
2006 853 #380 – –
2005 918 #342 – –
2004 894 #354 – –
2003 957 #326 – –
2002 957 #321 6 #9,669
2001 1,050 #298 11 #6,120
2000 963 #329 6 #9,386
1995 1,301 #216 9 #6,037
1990 1,955 #152 18 #3,342
1985 2,433 #120 21 #2,445
1980 3,145 #95 19 #2,560
1975 4,461 #64 16 #2,558
1970 9,343 #36 33 #1,472
1965 13,036 #28 49 #1,058
1960 15,066 #29 35 #1,345
1955 14,560 #23 32 #1,349
1950 4,514 #82 6 #3,409
1945 633 #273 – –
1940 326 #362 – –
1935 157 #511 – –
1930 83 #773 – –
1925 50 #1,077 – –
1920 61 #931 – –
1915 25 #1,449 – –
1910 7 #1,985 – –
1905 7 #1,575 – –
1900 7 #1,611 – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Denise

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

  1. 1 Denise Richards Denise Richards American actress and model (born 1971) Contemporary
  2. 2 Denise Crosby Denise Crosby American actress b. 1957 · Contemporary
  3. 3 Denise Lewis Denise Lewis British athlete and media personality (born 1972) Contemporary
  4. 4 Denise Quiñones Denise Quiñones Puerto Rican actress, Miss Universe (born 1980) Contemporary
  5. 5 Denise Mina Denise Mina Scottish crime writer, playwright (born 1966) Contemporary
  6. 6 Denise Biellmann Denise Biellmann Swiss professional figure skater b. 1962 · Contemporary
  7. 7 Denise Levertov Denise Levertov American poet (1923–1997) Contemporary
  8. 8 Denise Ho Denise Ho Canadian musical artist (born 1977) Contemporary
  9. 9 Denise Scott Brown Denise Scott Brown American architect (born 1931) Contemporary
  10. 10 Denise Perrier Denise Perrier Miss World 1953 b. 1935 · Contemporary
  11. 11 Denise Herrmann Denise Herrmann German cross-country skier b. 1988 · Contemporary
  12. 12 Denise Karbon Denise Karbon Italian alpine skier b. 1980 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Denise?

The median living Denise is about 61 years old. Half of all living Denises are between 53 and 68 years old.

How many people named Denise are alive today?

An estimated 332 thousand people named Denise are alive in the United States, based on 374,789 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Denise mean?

From French Denise, from Latin Dionȳsia (feminine form of Dionȳsius, a male name of Ancient Greek origin meaning “follower of Dionysus”).

How popular is the name Denise in 2025?

Denise ranked #1,677 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 123 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Denise?

374,789 babies have been named Denise in the United States since 1882, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Denise most popular?

Denise peaked in 1961, when 15,422 newborns received the name.

Is Denise a boy or girl name?

Denise is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Denise rising or falling?

Denise is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Denise become more popular?

Denise is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 89 girls named Denise in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Denise?

Well-known people named Denise include Denise Richards (actor), Denise Crosby (actor), Denise Lewis (athlete).

Names like Denise

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

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