Find out how popular the last name Denis is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Denis.

Denis, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Denis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Denis in America

Denis is the 5133rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Denis surname appeared 6,818 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Denis.

We can also compare 2010 data for Denis to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Denis

The surname Denis is of French origin, and it can be traced back to the Norman language of medieval times. The name is derived from the Latin name "Dionysius," which itself is derived from the Greek name "Dionysios," meaning "devoted to Dionysus," the Greek god of wine and revelry.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Denis can be found in medieval records from Normandy, France, dating back to the 11th century. The name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Calvados and Orne, where it is believed to have originated as a nickname or a descriptive name.

In the famous Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries for individuals with the surname Denis or variants such as Denys or Dennys. This suggests that the name had already traveled to England with the Norman conquest.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Denis was Robert Denis, a Norman knight who participated in the Third Crusade (1189-1192) under Richard the Lionheart. Another notable figure was Gilles Denis, a French mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1598 to 1672 and made significant contributions to the development of calculus.

In England, Sir Thomas Denys (1504-1561) was a prominent landowner and member of the gentry from Devon. His family is believed to have descended from the Norman settlers who arrived with William the Conqueror. Sir Walter Denys (1615-1694) was another notable English figure with the surname, serving as a Member of Parliament and High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire.

The surname Denis also has a strong presence in the history of France. Jean Denis (1598-1672) was a French Jesuit missionary who traveled to Canada and worked with the Huron and Iroquois nations. Jacques Denis (1643-1704) was a French sculptor and architect who worked on several major projects, including the Château de Versailles.

In more recent times, the surname Denis has been associated with several notable individuals, including Maurice Denis (1870-1943), a French painter and founding member of the Nabis group of artists, and Jacques Denis (1920-2009), a French composer and conductor.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Denis

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Denis.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Denis was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Denis has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Denis was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Denis, please contact us.

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