Dennison
Son of Denis, meaning "belonging to Dionysus/Dionysius" of Greek origin.
Name Census estimates that about 587 living Americans carry the first name Dennison. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Dennison today is around 45 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dennison births was 1949 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dennison. 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
587
~ 1 in 583,909 Americans
Peak year
1949
18 babies that year
Average age
45
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,109
Tracked since 1915
Popularity
Dennison: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dennison from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 118 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dennison 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 Dennison during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Dennisons live
Origin
Meaning and history of Dennison
The given name Dennison is believed to have originated as an English surname derived from the medieval personal name Dennis. Dennis itself is thought to be a variant of the Greek name Dionysios, which means "follower of Dionysos," the Greek god of wine, vegetation, and fruitfulness.
The earliest recorded use of the name Dennison as a given name dates back to the 16th century in England. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir William Dennison (c. 1530-1594), an English landowner and member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, the name Dennison gained popularity among the Puritans in New England, who often chose biblical or virtue names for their children. One notable figure from this period was Major-General Daniel Dennison (c. 1615-1682), an English-born military officer and colonial leader in Massachusetts.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the name Dennison continued to be used, though it remained relatively uncommon. One notable bearer was Thomas Dennison (1786-1864), an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania.
In the 20th century, the name Dennison gained more widespread usage, particularly in the United States. One prominent figure was William H. Dennison (1888-1960), an American businessman and politician who served as the 52nd Governor of Ohio from 1949 to 1957.
Another notable 20th-century bearer of the name was Dennison Morey (1904-1976), an American actor and voice artist who provided the voice for various characters in animated films and television shows, including the character of Underdog.
While not as common as some other names, Dennison has maintained a presence throughout history, with individuals bearing the name making contributions in various fields, including politics, military, law, and entertainment.
People
Dennison + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dennison 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
Dennison: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dennison?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 587 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dennison 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 583,909 US residents.
Is Dennison a common name?
We classify Dennison as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 760 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dennison most popular?
The single biggest year for Dennison was 1949, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dennison is about 45 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Dennison a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dennison 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.
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.