Dennett
A variant spelling of the male given name Dennis, derived from the Greek Dionysios meaning "devoted to Dionysus".
Name Census estimates that about 4 living Americans carry the first name Dennett. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Dennett today is around 66 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dennett births was 1953 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dennett. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Dennett is about 66 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Dennetts were born before 1970.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Dennett. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
4
~ 1 in 85,688,585 Americans
Peak year
1953
5 babies that year
Average age
66
years old
1953 SSA rank
#3,950
Tracked since 1953
Popularity
Dennett: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Dennett 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 Dennett during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Dennett
The given name Dennett has its origins in the Middle English era, deriving from the Old English word "denu," which means "valley" or "dell." It likely emerged as a surname denoting someone who resided in a valley or near a dell, before eventually transitioning into a first name.
During the medieval period, the name Dennett was primarily concentrated in the English counties of Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire, where many valleys and dells were found. Early spellings of the name included Dennet, Dennett, Denet, and Denette, reflecting the linguistic evolution from Old English to Middle English.
While the name Dennett does not appear to have any direct references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it may have been borne by individuals mentioned in historical records from the 13th century onwards, particularly in England and later in the American colonies.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name Dennett was John Dennett, a merchant from Somerset, England, who lived in the late 14th century. Another notable figure was Thomas Dennett (c. 1550-1619), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Rector of Lincoln College, Oxford.
In the 17th century, Daniel Dennett (c. 1615-1685) was an early settler in Massachusetts Bay Colony, arriving in America aboard the ship Confidence in 1638. His descendants went on to establish a prominent family in New England.
During the 19th century, Edward Dennett (1838-1914) was a British colonial administrator and scholar who served as the Resident in the Princely State of Mysore in India. He made significant contributions to the study of Burmese and Karen languages and cultures.
In the 20th century, Daniel Clement Dennett III (1942-), an American philosopher and cognitive scientist, gained prominence for his work on the philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, and evolutionary biology. He is known for his advocacy of the philosophical stance of naturalism and his explorations of consciousness and free will.
Other notable individuals with the first name Dennett include Dennett Lewis (1968-), a former professional basketball player who played in the NBA and various European leagues, and Dennett Austin (1923-2015), an American artist and illustrator best known for his work on children's books and magazines.
People
Dennett + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dennett 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
Dennett: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dennett?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dennett 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 85,688,585 US residents.
Is Dennett a common name?
We classify Dennett as "Very Rare". It ranks above 6.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dennett most popular?
The single biggest year for Dennett was 1953, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dennett is about 66 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Dennett in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dennett a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dennett 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 Dennett still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dennett 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 Dennett 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Dennett?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.