Denisse
A feminine name of Latin origin meaning "from Dionysia".
Name Census estimates that about 7,096 living Americans carry the first name Denisse. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Denisse today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Denisse births was 2020 (319 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Denisse. 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
7.1K
~ 1 in 48,302 Americans
Peak year
2020
319 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,955
Tracked since 1954
Census
Denisse in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 9,272 people with the first name Denisse, which placed it at #2,591 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
#2,591
National first-name rank
People counted
9.3K
9,272 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
3.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
93.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Denisse
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Denisse is Hispanic at 93.3%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Black (1.5%). 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 Denisse 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 Denisse at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.3% · 8,649
- White4.3% · 395
- Black or African American1.5% · 140
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 62
- Two or more races0.2% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 11
Popularity
Denisse: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Denisse from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 2,367 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Denisse remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Denisse 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 Denisse during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Denisses live
The SSA's state-level files cover 17 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Denisse, while Louisiana, Indiana, Virginia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 350 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Denisse
The name Denisse is a feminine given name of French origin, derived from the French name Denise, which itself is a variant of the ancient name Dionysia. Dionysia was a Greek name derived from the name of the Greek god Dionysus, the god of wine and revelry in ancient Greek mythology.
The name Denisse first appeared in medieval France, where it was a popular name among the French nobility and upper classes. It is believed to have originated as a diminutive or pet form of the name Denise, with the addition of the French diminutive suffix "-ette" or "-ette."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Denisse can be found in the 12th century, when a French noblewoman named Denisse de Chatillon lived during the reign of King Louis VII of France. She was a prominent figure in the French court and was known for her involvement in the Second Crusade.
Another notable figure with the name Denisse was Denisse de Rieux, a 15th-century French noblewoman who served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Anne of Brittany. She was renowned for her beauty and intellect and played a significant role in the cultural and literary circles of her time.
In the 16th century, a French poet and playwright named Denisse Jamin gained recognition for her works, which explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition. Her poetry was celebrated for its lyrical beauty and emotional depth, and she was considered a prominent figure in the French Renaissance literary movement.
During the 17th century, a French artist named Denisse Richart made significant contributions to the Baroque art movement. Her paintings, which often depicted religious scenes and portraits, were highly regarded for their masterful use of color, light, and composition.
In the 19th century, a French novelist and essayist named Denisse Flaugergues gained popularity for her insightful works that explored themes of social commentary and the human experience. Her novels were widely read and celebrated for their honest portrayal of societal issues and the complexities of human relationships.
While the name Denisse has roots in ancient Greek and medieval French history, it has remained a popular choice for parents around the world, particularly in French-speaking regions and cultures influenced by French traditions. The name's enduring appeal lies in its melodic sound, rich cultural heritage, and association with notable figures throughout history.
People
Denisse + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Denisse 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
Denisse: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Denisse?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7,096 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Denisse 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 48,302 US residents.
Is Denisse a common name?
We classify Denisse as "Rare". It ranks above 97.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7,266 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Denisse most popular?
The single biggest year for Denisse was 2020, when 319 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Denisse is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Denisse in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 9,272 people with the name Denisse, or 3.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #2,591 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 Denisse 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 Denisse?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Denisse appears almost entirely female. Of the 9,270 people counted with this name, 99.6% 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 Denisse?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Denisse is Hispanic at 93.3%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Black (1.5%). 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 Denisse most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Denisse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (8,649 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 Denisse in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Denisse a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Denisse 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 Denisse still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Denisse 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 Denisse 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 common is the name Denisse?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Denisse on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.