2000
#5,083
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,336
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.35
Rare Last name
Denison
An English locational surname derived from any of various places called Denison, meaning "Dane's son" or "Dennis's son."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,932 Americans carry the last name Denison. That puts it at #5,555 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Denison 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 Denison with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.9K
1 in 49,445
Census rank
#5,555
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,045 bearers of the surname Denison in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5555th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Denison, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Denison
The surname DENISON has its origins in England and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English personal name Dennis, which means "from Dionysius" or "follower of Dionysus". The name Denison was originally a patronymic, meaning "son of Denis".
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname DENISON can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where it is listed as "Dionys". This suggests that the name was already in use by this time, though the spelling had not yet been standardized.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms such as "Denysoun" and "Denyson" in records from Cambridgeshire and Norfolk. The spelling "Denison" became more common by the 15th century.
The DENISON surname has been linked to several place names in England, including Denison Terrace in Durham and Denison Farm in Northumberland. These place names likely derived from early bearers of the surname who settled in those areas.
One notable early bearer of the DENISON surname was John Denison (c.1515-1589), an English scholar and clergyman who served as the Bishop of Peterborough from 1589 until his death.
Another prominent figure was Daniel Denison (1613-1682), a colonial military officer and one of the founders of Ipswich, Massachusetts. He was born in England and immigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1631.
In the 18th century, William Denison (1716-1768) was a British naval officer who served as Governor of Nova Scotia from 1765 to 1768.
John Denison (1785-1842) was an English politician and landowner who served as Member of Parliament for Newcastle-under-Lyme from 1835 to 1842.
Sir William Thomas Denison (1804-1871) was an Australian colonial governor who served as Governor of New South Wales from 1855 to 1861 and Governor of Madras from 1861 to 1866.
The surname DENISON has a long and distinguished history, with bearers making significant contributions in various fields throughout the centuries. Its origins can be traced back to medieval England, and it has been associated with several notable figures over the course of its evolution.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Denison
Among Census respondents with the surname Denison, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Denison 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 Denison surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 5,390
- Two or more races4.2% · 253
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 205
- Black or African American1.4% · 86
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 57
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 54
Timeline
Historical Census data for Denison
Denison 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
#5,364
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,490
+154 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 2.20
Rank movement Down 281 places
2020
#5,555
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,045
-445 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 2.02
Rank movement Down 191 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,083 | 6,336 | 2.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,364 | 6,490 | 2.20 | +154 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 281 places |
| 2020 | #5,555 | 6,045 | 2.02 | -445 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 191 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 Denison 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 | #5,364 | #5,555 | -3.6% |
| Count | 6,490 | 6,045 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.20 | 2.02 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Denison bearers went from 6,490 to 6,045 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 191 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,364 to #5,555.
FAQ
Denison surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Denison?
Name Census estimates that about 6,932 living Americans carry the surname Denison. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,445 residents.
How common is Denison?
Denison ranks #5,555 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.02 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 6,045 people with the surname Denison. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,932), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.02 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 Denison.
Has Denison become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Denison went from 6,490 recorded bearers to 6,045. That is a decrease of 445 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,364 to #5,555.
What does the Census say about the background of Denison?
Among Census respondents with the surname Denison, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Denison in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (5,390 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Denison appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Denison (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 Denison mean?
An English locational surname derived from any of various places called Denison, meaning "Dane's son" or "Dennis's son." 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 Denison (2.02 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 Americans have the surname Denison?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.