Dene
A name of Native American origin meaning "the people".
Name Census estimates that about 575 living Americans carry the first name Dene. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 71.9% of registrations being female. The average person named Dene today is around 55 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dene births was 1965 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dene. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Dene with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
575
~ 1 in 596,095 Americans
Peak year
1965
26 babies that year
Average age
55
years old
1993 SSA rank
#7,867
Tracked since 1917
Census
Dene in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 765 people with the first name Dene, which placed it at #15,141 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#15,141
National first-name rank
People counted
765
765 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
65.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dene
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dene is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Black (17.5%) and Hispanic (7.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Dene described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Dene at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.9% · 504
- Black or African American17.5% · 134
- Hispanic or Latino7.1% · 54
- Two or more races5.8% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 7
Gender
Gender distribution for Dene
Dene is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 795 total registrations, 223 (28.1%) were male and 572 (71.9%) were female.
Dene as a male name
- Ranked #7,867 in 1993
- 6 male births in 1993
- Peak: 1925 (10 births)
Dene as a female name
- Ranked #8,168 in 2000
- 12 female births in 2000
- Peak: 1965 (19 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Dene on both sides of the split. Of the 769 people counted with this name, 218 were male (28.3%) and 551 were female (71.7%).
Popularity
Dene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dene from the 1910s through to the 2000s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 176 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dene by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Dene during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Denes live
Origin
Meaning and history of Dene
The name Dene originates from Old English, tracing its roots back to the 5th century AD. It is derived from the word "denu," meaning "valley" or "valley-dweller." The name was initially prevalent among the Anglo-Saxon population in England and was often used to describe individuals who resided in or near valleys.
In ancient texts, the name Dene appears in various forms, such as "Dæne" and "Dæne-mann." One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book mentions several individuals with the name Dene, indicating its widespread use during that period.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Dene. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Dene of Winchester (c. 1030 - c. 1100), an Anglo-Norman monk and scholar who contributed significantly to the field of mathematics and astronomy.
Another prominent figure was Dene Marbanach (c. 1200 - c. 1270), an Irish poet and storyteller renowned for his skills in preserving and transmitting traditional Irish tales and legends. His works played a crucial role in preserving Irish cultural heritage during a period of turmoil and change.
In the 14th century, Dene Ingram (c. 1325 - c. 1390), an English merchant and diplomat, gained fame for his role in facilitating trade relations between England and the Hanseatic League, a powerful commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and towns in Northern Europe.
During the Renaissance period, Dene Erasmus (1466 - 1536), a Dutch Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, and social critic, made significant contributions to the field of education and theology. His writings and teachings influenced many intellectuals of his time and played a crucial role in shaping the ideals of the Protestant Reformation.
In more recent times, Dene Hill (1907 - 1995), an American actor and screenwriter, gained recognition for his work in Hollywood during the golden age of cinema. He was known for his roles in several classic films and his contributions to the screenwriting of notable productions.
While the name Dene has its origins in Old English and Anglo-Saxon culture, it has been adopted and used across various regions and cultures over the centuries, reflecting its enduring appeal and historical significance.
People
Dene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dene as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Dene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 575 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dene going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 596,095 US residents.
Is Dene a common name?
We classify Dene as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 795 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dene most popular?
The single biggest year for Dene was 1965, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dene is about 55 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Dene in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 765 people with the name Dene, or 0.25 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #15,141 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Dene in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Dene?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Dene on both sides of the split. Of the 769 people counted with this name, 218 were male (28.3%) and 551 were female (71.7%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Dene?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dene is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Black (17.5%) and Hispanic (7.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Dene most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Dene in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.9% (504 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Dene in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dene a female name?
Yes, 71.9% of people registered as Dene in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Dene still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dene in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Dene can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Dene?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.