boy's name
Denis
DEN-iss
- Origin French
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 186,045
Ireland
#240
2025 births
Denis is a boy's name from the Greek god of wine, and Ireland places it 240th — its strongest market by a wide margin. Its saint is a cephalophore, depicted carrying his own severed head.
- Denis is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 1963, when 6,150 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 19,650 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Denis over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 2,545 |
| 1910s | 2,625 |
| 1920s | 4,855 |
| 1930s | 7,175 |
| 1940s | 15,650 |
| 1950s | 42,915 |
| 1960s | 46,810 |
| 1970s | 18,375 |
| 1980s | 6,835 |
| 1990s | 2,955 |
| 2000s | 1,365 |
| 2010s | 815 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 285 |
What Denis means
Denis means a follower of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and theater. The name identifies its bearer with the god rather than describing a quality.
Where Denis comes from
Denis descends from Dionysius, belonging to Dionysus — the Greek god of wine, of ecstatic release and of the theater, whose festivals produced Athenian drama. Saint Denis was the third-century first bishop of Paris, beheaded at Montmartre, whose legend has him picking up his head and walking several miles while preaching; he is the model cephalophore of medieval art and the patron of France. The abbey named for him became the burial church of almost every French monarch. The single-n French spelling is the older; Dennis is the English doubling.
Denis in use
Denis peaked in the United States in 1952, when 625 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 240th in Ireland on 20 births, 328th in Northern Ireland, 485th in England and Wales on 80, 1222nd in France on 30 and 1719th in the United States on 101, across 186,045 lifetime births in six of the seven markets we track. Ireland and Northern Ireland both place it far above France, where the saint is buried.
How popular is Denis?
In 2025, Denis was given to 30 babies in France. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Denis is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
How Denis is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Dénis | Dénis is a rare spelling of Denis, written with an acute accent and recorded about 55 times, mostly in France. | 55 |
Names that peaked alongside Denis
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Denis also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Denis over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Denis
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Denis in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Denis
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Denis — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Denis
What does the name Denis mean?
A follower of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and theater.
Is it Denis or Dennis?
Denis is the older French spelling; Dennis is the English doubling of the n.
Why is Saint Denis shown holding his head?
His legend has him walking and preaching after being beheaded at Montmartre — the model cephalophore of medieval art.
Where is Denis most used?
Ireland at 240th, well ahead of France at 1222nd.
How popular is the name Denis?
In 2025, Denis was given to 30 babies in France. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Denis a girl's or a boy's name?
Denis is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Denis?
Denis has 2 syllables.
When was Denis most popular?
Denis peaked in 1963, when 6,150 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Denis?
Denis is usually shortened to Den.
Is Denis a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Denis currently ranks #240 in France. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.