Dennis
How to say it: DEN-iss · /ˈdɛnɪs/
From Dionysius, Greek god of wine and revelry; widely used in medieval Europe via Saint Denis.
Dennis was the 573rd most popular boys’ name in the United States in 2025, given to 381 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
Key facts
| Rank among boys’ names, 2025 | #573 |
|---|---|
| Babies born in 2025 | 381 |
| Share of births | 1 in 6,965 |
| Peak decade | 1940s |
| Change over 10 years | −32% |
| Projected rank for 2030 (estimate) | #632 |
| In France, 2025 | #813 among boys’ names, 5 births |
Sources: Social Security Administration (SSA), Insee (France). How we compute these figures.
Its life, decade by decade
At its strongest in the 1940s, Dennis has thinned out since. Far below its former level, it is likely to slip further.
What goes with it
Short and clipped in two syllables, crisp with a breathy close. Ronald belongs in the same group.
Nicknames
- Den
- Denny
Other spellings
Honouring a Dennis in the family
In the classroom
In a class of 25 children born in 2025, the chance that another child is called Dennis is about under 1 in 200.
Around the world
This spelling is used in Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Norwegian, Swedish.
In France: #813 for boys in 2025.
England and Wales: #480.
Famous people named Dennis
- Dennis Bergkamp (born 1969)Dutch association football player
- Dennis Quaid (born 1954)American actor
- Dennis M. Ritchie (1941–2011)American computer scientist, co-inventor of the Unix operating system and the C programming language
From Wikidata and Wikipedia
Good to know
- Dennis the Menace, mischievous boy in Hank Ketcham's comic strip since 1951.
- Hurricane Dennis (2005) was retired from Atlantic naming lists.
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