Boy’s name · French, Greek

Denis

How to say it: DEN-is · /ˈdɛnɪs/

French form of Dionysius, from Greek Dionysos - longstanding saint's name across Europe.

Denis was the 573rd most popular boys’ name in the United States in 2025, given to 95 babies (Social Security Administration). Its busiest decade was the 1940s, its births are down about 32% in ten years, and it is projected to slip to #632 by 2030.

Updated · SSA 2025 data, published May 2026 · Insee 2025 data, published July 2026 · How we compute these figures

#573for boys in 2025
1 in 6,965US babies
95born in 2025
#632projected for 2030
1940sits peak decade
under 1 in 200chance a classmate shares it

Key facts

Key facts about Denis
Rank among boys’ names, 2025#573
Babies born in 202595
Share of births1 in 6,965
Peak decade1940s
Change over 10 years−32%
Projected rank for 2030 (estimate)#632
In France, 2025#813 among boys’ names, 30 births

Sources: Social Security Administration (SSA), Insee (France). How we compute these figures.

Its life, decade by decade

Denis peaked in the 1940s and is less common today.

1900195020002020–25
Peak: 249 per million births, 1940s.

What goes with it

Nicknames

  • Den
  • Denny

Honouring a Denis in the family

In the classroom

In a class of 25 children born in 2025, the chance that another child is called Denis is about under 1 in 200.

Around the world

This spelling is used in Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish.

In France: #813 for boys in 2025.

England and Wales: #484. Ireland: #234.

Famous people named Denis

  • Denis Diderot (1713–1784)French Enlightenment philosopher writer and encyclopædist
  • Denis Mukwege (born 1955)Congolese gynecologist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate
  • Denis Sassou-Nguesso (born 1943)President of the Republic of the Congo (1979–1992; 1997–present)

From Wikidata and Wikipedia

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