2000
#5,852
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,418
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.01
Rare Last name
Denis
A French surname derived from the given name Denis, which comes from Dionysius, the Greek god of wine.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,980 Americans carry the last name Denis. That puts it at #5,514 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,105 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Denis surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Denis with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.0K
1 in 49,105
Census rank
#5,514
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,087 bearers of the surname Denis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5514th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Denis, the largest self-reported group is White at 41.9%. The next largest groups are Black (33.0%) and Hispanic (21.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Denis
Among Census respondents with the surname Denis, the largest self-reported group is White at 41.9%. The next largest groups are Black (33.0%) and Hispanic (21.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Denis bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Denis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White41.9% · 2,552
- Black or African American33.0% · 2,010
- Hispanic or Latino21.3% · 1,294
- Two or more races2.4% · 147
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 73
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Denis
Denis appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,133
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,818
+1,400 bearers (+25.8%)
Per 100,000 2.31
Rank movement Up 719 places
2020
#5,514
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,087
-731 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 2.04
Rank movement Down 381 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,852 | 5,418 | 2.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,133 | 6,818 | 2.31 | +1,400 bearers (+25.8%) | Up 719 places |
| 2020 | #5,514 | 6,087 | 2.04 | -731 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 381 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Denis surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,133 | #5,514 | -7.4% |
| Count | 6,818 | 6,087 | -10.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.31 | 2.04 | -11.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Denis bearers went from 6,818 to 6,087 (-10.7% change). The surname moved down 381 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,133 to #5,514.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Denis
FAQ
Denis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Denis?
Name Census estimates that about 6,980 living Americans carry the surname Denis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,105 residents.
How common is Denis?
Denis ranks #5,514 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,087 people with the surname Denis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,980), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Denis.
Has Denis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Denis went from 6,818 recorded bearers to 6,087. That is a decrease of 731 (-10.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,133 to #5,514.
What does the Census say about the background of Denis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Denis, the largest self-reported group is White at 41.9%. The next largest groups are Black (33.0%) and Hispanic (21.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Denis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 41.9% (2,552 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Denis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (41.9%), Black (33.0%), Hispanic (21.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Denis (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Denis mean?
A French surname derived from the given name Denis, which comes from Dionysius, the Greek god of wine. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Denis (2.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Denis?
Want to know how many people have the last name Denis? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.