Deniese
French feminine form of the name Denis, meaning "follower of Dionysius".
Name Census estimates that about 280 living Americans carry the first name Deniese. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Deniese today is around 62 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Deniese births was 1959 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Deniese. 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
280
~ 1 in 1,224,123 Americans
Peak year
1959
27 babies that year
Average age
62
years old
1993 SSA rank
#14,056
Tracked since 1951
Popularity
Deniese: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Deniese from the 1950s through to the 1990s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 142 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
Deniese 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 Deniese during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Deniese
The name Deniese is a variation of the French name Denise, which has its origins in the Greek name Dionysia. Dionysia was the feminine form of Dionysios, which derived from the name of the Greek god Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility.
The name Denise first appeared in the 5th century AD and was initially used in France and other parts of Western Europe. It gained popularity during the Middle Ages and was often associated with religious figures and saints.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Deniese can be found in the 13th-century Roman Catholic religious text "The Golden Legend" by Jacobus de Voragine. This work mentioned a Saint Denise who was a martyr and lived in the 3rd century AD.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Deniese or its variations. One of the most famous was Denise Levertov (1923-1997), a British-born American poet known for her works exploring themes of nature, spirituality, and social justice.
Another notable Deniese was Denise Darvall (1926-1998), an Australian author and playwright who wrote several novels and plays that explored themes of family, relationships, and Australian identity.
In the realm of sports, Denise Lewis (born 1972) is a British former athlete who won the gold medal in the heptathlon at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Denise Austin (born 1957) is an American fitness instructor and author who has produced numerous workout videos and books on healthy living.
Denise Huxtable, a fictional character played by Lisa Bonet on the popular 1980s sitcom "The Cosby Show," also helped to popularize the name during that era.
Overall, the name Deniese has a rich history that spans centuries and various cultures, with its origins tracing back to the ancient Greek god Dionysus. Its enduring popularity can be attributed to its association with religious figures, notable individuals in various fields, and its pleasing sound and meaning.
People
Deniese + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Deniese 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
Deniese: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Deniese?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 280 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Deniese 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 1,224,123 US residents.
Is Deniese a common name?
We classify Deniese as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 353 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Deniese most popular?
The single biggest year for Deniese was 1959, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Deniese is about 62 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Deniese a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Deniese 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.
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.