2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Dennes
An English surname derived from the Old French term "daneys", meaning a meadow or pasture.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Dennes. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dennes 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 Dennes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Dennes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dennes, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dennes
The surname Dennes is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "dene," meaning a deep valley or hollow. It is believed to have emerged in the 12th century, referring to those who lived in or near such a geographical feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1190, where a William de la Dene is mentioned. This suggests that the surname was initially used as a locational descriptor before evolving into a hereditary surname.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, there is a reference to a Walter de la Dene from Wiltshire, indicating the name's prevalence in the southwestern regions of England during the medieval period.
The Dennes surname can be traced back to various place names across England, such as Dene in Hampshire, Denham in Buckinghamshire, and Denby in Derbyshire, among others. These place names likely share a similar etymology, referring to the valleys or hollows in the respective areas.
One notable individual bearing the Dennes surname was John Dennes (c. 1450-1527), a prominent English merchant and Member of Parliament who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1499. He was a leading figure in the Worshipful Company of Mercers and played a significant role in the city's governance during the Tudor period.
Another historical figure was Richard Dennes (1593-1653), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for West Looe in Cornwall during the English Civil War. He was a staunch Royalist and was imprisoned for his support of King Charles I.
In the 17th century, Edward Dennes (1639-1689) was a notable English divine and academic who served as the Archdeacon of Rochester and Rector of Stourmouth in Kent. He authored several theological works and was recognized for his scholarly contributions.
During the 18th century, Sir John Dennes (1724-1798) was a prominent figure in the British East India Company. He served as the Governor of Bombay from 1784 to 1788 and played a crucial role in the company's operations in India.
Additionally, Sir George Shuckburgh-Evelyn, 6th Baronet (1751-1804), whose mother was Elizabeth Dennes, inherited the Dennes estate in Kent and adopted the surname Dennes as part of his name, further solidifying the family's legacy in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dennes
Among Census respondents with the surname Dennes, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Dennes 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 Dennes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.3% · 76
- Hispanic or Latino26.5% · 30
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dennes
Dennes 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+2 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 7,906 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+10 bearers (+9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,013 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | +2 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 7,906 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.7%) | Up 10,013 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 Dennes 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 | #157,234 | #147,221 | 6.4% |
| Count | 103 | 113 | 9.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 26.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dennes bearers went from 103 to 113 (+9.7% change). The surname moved up 10,013 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #147,221.
FAQ
Dennes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dennes?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Dennes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Dennes?
Dennes ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 113 people with the surname Dennes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Dennes.
Has Dennes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dennes went from 103 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 10 (+9.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Dennes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dennes, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Dennes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.3% (76 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dennes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.3%), Hispanic (26.5%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Dennes (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 Dennes mean?
An English surname derived from the Old French term "daneys", meaning a meadow or pasture. 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 Dennes (0.04 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 common is the surname Dennes?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Dennes on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.