Denise first name popularity, history and meaning

Find out how popular the first name Denise has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Meaning of Denise

A feminine name of French origin meaning "follower of Dionysus".

Popularity of Denise by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Denise is more commonly used as a female name, with approximately 99% of people named Denise being female.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 150 female babies and 0 male babies born with the name Denise.

Year Male Count Female Count
2023 0 150
2022 0 162
2021 5 191
2020 0 307
2019 0 162
2018 0 239
2017 0 217
2016 0 209
2015 0 270
2014 0 359
2013 0 358
2012 0 411
2011 0 473
2010 0 619
2009 0 692
2008 0 897
2007 0 881
2006 0 853
2005 0 918
2004 0 893
2003 0 957
2002 6 957
2001 11 1,050
2000 6 963
1999 0 965
1998 0 999
1997 6 1,074
1996 5 1,230
1995 9 1,303
1994 12 1,391
1993 12 1,458
1992 18 1,629
1991 11 1,746
1990 18 1,956
1989 19 2,033
1988 14 2,064
1987 21 2,104
1986 21 2,205
1985 21 2,432
1984 20 2,462
1983 24 2,571
1982 19 2,895
1981 27 3,201
1980 19 3,146
1979 19 3,268
1978 16 3,519
1977 9 3,682
1976 26 3,987
1975 16 4,462
1974 28 5,396

The history of the first name Denise

Denise is a French feminine given name derived from the Greek name Dionysia, which was the feminine form of Dionysios. The name Dionysios comes from the Greek god Dionysus, the god of wine, vegetation, pleasure, festivity, madness and wild frenzy.

The name Denise first appeared in France during the medieval period as a variant of the name Denisette. It was originally a diminutive form of the masculine name Denis, which was the French form of the Latin name Dionysius.

One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Denise can be found in the 12th century French epic poem "The Song of Roland," where a character named Denise is mentioned. In the poem, Denise is the wife of the Frankish knight Samson.

Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Denise. One of the most famous was Denise Levertov (1923-1997), an American-born British poet who was known for her free verse and her exploration of spiritual and political themes.

Another notable Denise was Denise Darvall (1926-1998), an Australian singer and actress who was one of the first Australian female pop stars and had several hit songs in the 1950s and 1960s.

In the world 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 Grover Swank (born 1968) is an American author best known for her contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels.

Denise Crosby (born 1957) is an American actress and television personality, best known for her roles in films and TV shows such as "Pet Sematary" and "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Denise was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Denise, please contact us.

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"Denise first name popularity, history and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 11, 2024. http://namecensus.com/first-names/denise-meaning-and-history/.

"Denise first name popularity, history and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/first-names/denise-meaning-and-history/. Accessed 11 December, 2024

Denise first name popularity, history and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/first-names/denise-meaning-and-history/.

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