2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Denish
A surname derived from the word "Danish," suggesting ancestry or origin in Denmark.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Denish. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Denish 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.
Bearers in the US
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Denish in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Denish, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (17.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Denish
The surname DENISH is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "dene" and "ish", which together mean "dweller in the valley". This suggests that the name was initially used to refer to someone who lived in a valley or low-lying area.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name DENISH can be found in the Domesday Book, a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This historical document includes several entries for individuals with variations of the name, such as "de Denish" and "Denishe".
In the 13th century, there are records of a family with the surname DENISH residing in the county of Kent, in southeastern England. It is believed that the name may have originated in this region, as there are several place names in Kent that incorporate the word "den" or "dene", referring to valleys or low-lying areas.
One notable bearer of the DENISH surname was Sir John Denish, a knight who lived in the late 14th century. He is mentioned in historical records as having fought in the Hundred Years' War between England and France.
Another early example of the name can be found in the 15th century, when a Richard Denish is recorded as being a landowner in the county of Gloucestershire, in western England. This suggests that the name had spread to different parts of the country by this time.
In the 16th century, there are records of a family with the surname DENISH living in the town of Ashford, in Kent. One member of this family, William Denish, was a prominent merchant and landowner who lived from around 1520 to 1590.
During the 17th century, the DENISH surname appears to have been particularly prevalent in the counties of Kent and Sussex, in southeastern England. One notable individual from this period was Thomas Denish, a farmer and landowner who lived in the village of Northiam, in Sussex, from approximately 1620 to 1685.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Denish
Among Census respondents with the surname Denish, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (17.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Denish 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 Denish surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.9% · 80
- Black or African American17.3% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.8% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Denish
Denish 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,366 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-12 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 10,441 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 6,366 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -12 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 10,441 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 Denish 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 | #143,149 | #153,590 | -7.3% |
| Count | 116 | 104 | -10.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Denish bearers went from 116 to 104 (-10.3% change). The surname moved down 10,441 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #153,590.
FAQ
Denish surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Denish?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Denish. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Denish?
Denish ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 104 people with the surname Denish. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Denish.
Has Denish become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Denish went from 116 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Denish?
Among Census respondents with the surname Denish, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (17.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.8%). 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 Denish in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.9% (80 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Denish appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.9%), Black (17.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.8%). 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 Denish (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 Denish mean?
A surname derived from the word "Danish," suggesting ancestry or origin in Denmark. 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 Denish (0.03 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 are called Denish?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Denish on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.