Denese
Feminine variation of the French Denis or Dennis, meaning "follower of Dionysius".
Name Census estimates that about 1,198 living Americans carry the first name Denese. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Denese today is around 64 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Denese births was 1954 (98 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Denese. 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.
People living today
1.2K
~ 1 in 286,105 Americans
Peak year
1954
98 babies that year
Average age
64
years old
2006 SSA rank
#17,851
Tracked since 1928
Census
Denese in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,749 people with the first name Denese, which placed it at #8,321 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
#8,321
National first-name rank
People counted
1.7K
1,749 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.6
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
58.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Denese
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Denese is White at 58.5%. The next largest groups are Black (32.0%) and Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Denese 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 Denese at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.5% · 1,024
- Black or African American32.0% · 560
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 75
- Two or more races3.5% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 10
Popularity
Denese: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Denese from the 1920s through to the 2000s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 646 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Denese 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 Denese during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Deneses live
The SSA's state-level files cover 12 states and territories. California, Ohio, Texas recorded the most babies named Denese, while Virginia, Oklahoma, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 27 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Denese
The name Denese originates from the French language and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the French word "dénouée," which means "untied" or "loosened." This could indicate a connection to the idea of freedom or breaking free from restraints.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Denese can be found in the French records of the late 1500s. However, it was not a widely used name during that time period and remained relatively uncommon until more recent centuries.
Throughout history, there are a few notable individuals who have borne the name Denese. One such person was Denese Courcelle (1599-1665), a French noblewoman and courtier during the reign of King Louis XIII. She was known for her influential role in the court and her patronage of the arts.
Another historical figure named Denese was Denese Villeneuve (1737-1805), a French botanist and naturalist. She made significant contributions to the study of plant life and was one of the few women scientists of her time.
In the 19th century, Denese Arnault (1821-1892) was a French writer and poet who gained recognition for her works exploring themes of love, nature, and the human experience. Her poetry collections were widely celebrated during her lifetime.
Moving into the 20th century, Denese Fouchard (1903-1976) was a Haitian activist and feminist who fought for women's rights and social justice. She played a pivotal role in the women's movement in Haiti and inspired generations of activists.
Lastly, Denese Williams (1944-2017) was an American singer and songwriter known for her contributions to the R&B and soul music genres. She had a successful career spanning several decades and was widely respected for her powerful vocals and songwriting talents.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have carried the name Denese, showcasing its diverse cultural and linguistic roots, as well as its presence across various fields and eras.
People
Denese + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Denese 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
Denese: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Denese?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,198 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Denese 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 286,105 US residents.
Is Denese a common name?
We classify Denese as "Rare". It ranks above 91.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,588 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Denese most popular?
The single biggest year for Denese was 1954, when 98 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Denese is about 64 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Denese in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,749 people with the name Denese, or 0.58 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #8,321 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 Denese 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 Denese?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Denese appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,741 people counted with this name, 99.9% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Denese?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Denese is White at 58.5%. The next largest groups are Black (32.0%) and Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Denese most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Denese in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.5% (1,024 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 Denese in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Denese a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Denese 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 Denese still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Denese 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 Denese 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 people share the name Denese?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.