Denyse
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "follower of Dionysus".
Name Census estimates that about 1,033 living Americans carry the first name Denyse. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Denyse today is around 54 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Denyse births was 1956 (43 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Denyse. 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
1.0K
~ 1 in 331,805 Americans
Peak year
1956
43 babies that year
Average age
54
years old
2017 SSA rank
#13,060
Tracked since 1927
Popularity
Denyse: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Denyse from the 1920s through to the 2010s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 306 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Denyse 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 Denyse during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Denyses live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. California, New York, Massachusetts recorded the most babies named Denyse, while Texas, Pennsylvania, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 36 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Denyse
The name Denyse has its origins in the ancient Greek language. It is derived from the name Dionysius, which was a masculine name honoring the Greek god Dionysus, the deity of wine, vegetation, pleasure, and festivity. The name Dionysius translates to "follower of Dionysus" or "devoted to Dionysus."
Over time, the name Dionysius underwent various transformations and adaptations across different cultures and languages. In French, it evolved into the feminine form Denise, which then gave rise to the variant spelling Denyse. This transition from the masculine to the feminine form was common in the adaptation of ancient Greek names into other languages.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Denyse can be traced back to medieval France. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Denise of France (1164-1194), a French princess and the daughter of King Louis VII of France. She was engaged to be married to Richard the Lionheart, but she died before the marriage could take place.
Another notable historical figure with the name Denyse was Denise Levert (1923-1997), a French actress and writer. She appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout her career, which spanned over six decades. Denyse Levert was born in Paris and was active in the entertainment industry from the 1940s until her death in 1997.
In the religious realm, Saint Denise of Rome (c. 258-268) was a Christian martyr who was executed during the persecution of Christians under the Roman Emperor Aurelian. She is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church, and her feast day is celebrated on October 15th.
Moving forward in history, Denyse Saunders (1957-1964) was a British child actor who appeared in several films and television shows in the early 1960s. She tragically died at the age of seven in a car accident, cutting her promising career short.
Another notable bearer of the name was Denyse Rivard (1918-2009), a Canadian writer and journalist. She was a prolific author, publishing numerous novels, short stories, and plays throughout her career. Denyse Rivard was highly regarded in the literary circles of Quebec and received several prestigious awards for her contributions to Canadian literature.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the name Denyse throughout history, spanning various fields and cultures. The name's origins can be traced back to ancient Greece, and its evolution and adaptation into different languages have contributed to its enduring presence across the centuries.
People
Denyse + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Denyse 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
Denyse: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Denyse?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,033 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Denyse 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 331,805 US residents.
Is Denyse a common name?
We classify Denyse as "Rare". It ranks above 90.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,329 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Denyse most popular?
The single biggest year for Denyse was 1956, when 43 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Denyse is about 54 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Denyse a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Denyse 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.
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.