Deniz
A gender-neutral Turkish name meaning "sea" or "ocean".
Name Census estimates that about 2,010 living Americans carry the first name Deniz. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 56.6% of registrations being male. The average person named Deniz today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Deniz births was 2016 (87 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Deniz. 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 Deniz with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Deniz sits in rare territory as a truly gender-neutral name, given to boys and girls in near-equal numbers.
People living today
2.0K
~ 1 in 170,525 Americans
Peak year
2016
87 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,105
Tracked since 1961
Census
Deniz in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,352 people with the first name Deniz, which placed it at #6,726 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
#6,726
National first-name rank
People counted
2.4K
2,352 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.8
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
84.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deniz
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Deniz is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Deniz 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 Deniz at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.9% · 1,997
- Hispanic or Latino9.3% · 219
- Two or more races3.4% · 80
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 42
- Black or African American0.6% · 14
Gender
Gender distribution for Deniz
Deniz is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 2,053 total registrations, 1,162 (56.6%) were male and 891 (43.4%) were female.
Deniz as a male name
- Ranked #3,105 in 2024
- 39 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2019 (58 births)
Deniz as a female name
- Ranked #4,788 in 2024
- 28 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2020 (48 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Deniz on both sides of the split. Of the 2,350 people counted with this name, 1,132 were male (48.2%) and 1,218 were female (51.8%).
Popularity
Deniz: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Deniz from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 662 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Deniz remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Deniz 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 Deniz during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Deniz' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. New York, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Deniz, while Washington, Massachusetts, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 65 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Deniz
The name Deniz has its origins in the Turkish language, where it means "sea" or "ocean." This name's history can be traced back to the Turkic peoples of Central Asia, who had a strong maritime tradition and a deep connection with the vast bodies of water in the region.
In ancient times, the name Deniz was likely used to honor the sea's power and majesty, as well as its role as a source of sustenance and a pathway for exploration and trade. The name's association with the sea also reflects the importance of water in the arid regions where the Turkic peoples lived.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Deniz can be found in the Divan-i Lügat-it Türk, a renowned 11th-century dictionary of Turkic languages compiled by the scholar Mahmud al-Kashgari. This work provides valuable insight into the linguistic and cultural heritage of the Turkic peoples.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Deniz. One prominent example is Deniz Gezmis (1947-1972), a Turkish revolutionary and activist who was executed for his involvement in an attempted coup against the government. His name and legacy continue to resonate among those advocating for social and political change in Turkey.
Another figure of note is Deniz Zeyrek (born 1976), a Turkish actress and television personality known for her roles in popular TV series and films. Her talent and charisma have made her a household name in Turkey and among Turkish communities worldwide.
In the realm of sports, Deniz Naki (born 1989) stands out as a Turkish professional footballer who has played for several clubs in Turkey and abroad. His athletic prowess and dedication to his craft have earned him respect and admiration from fans and fellow players alike.
Deniz Akkaya (born 1977) is a Turkish writer and journalist whose works have explored themes of identity, cultural heritage, and the complexities of modern life. Her insightful and thought-provoking writings have garnered critical acclaim and a loyal readership.
Lastly, Deniz Koyu (born 1984) is a Turkish-German DJ and record producer who has made a significant impact on the electronic dance music scene. His innovative sound and energetic performances have earned him a dedicated following and numerous accolades within the industry.
These are just a few examples of the individuals who have carried the name Deniz throughout history, each making their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural heritage associated with this name.
People
Deniz + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Deniz 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
Deniz: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Deniz?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,010 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Deniz 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 170,525 US residents.
Is Deniz a common name?
We classify Deniz as "Rare". It ranks above 93.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,053 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Deniz most popular?
The single biggest year for Deniz was 2016, when 87 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Deniz is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Deniz in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,352 people with the name Deniz, or 0.78 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #6,726 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 Deniz 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 Deniz?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Deniz on both sides of the split. Of the 2,350 people counted with this name, 1,132 were male (48.2%) and 1,218 were female (51.8%). 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 Deniz?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Deniz is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Deniz most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Deniz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.9% (1,997 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 Deniz in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Deniz a male name?
Yes, 56.6% of people registered as Deniz in the SSA data are male. 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 Deniz still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Deniz 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 Deniz 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 Deniz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.