2000
#384
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 74,784
First available Census row
Per 100,000 27.72
Uncommon Last name
Dennis
An English patronymic surname meaning "son of Dennis," derived from the French name Denis, meaning "follower of Dionysus."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 85,292 Americans carry the last name Dennis. That puts it at #438 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 24.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,019 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dennis 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 Dennis with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
85K
1 in 4,019
Census rank
#438
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
24.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
74K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 74,379 bearers of the surname Dennis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 24.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 438th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dennis, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.3%. The next largest groups are Black (27.9%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dennis
The surname Dennis has its origins in England, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the French given name "Denis," which itself comes from the Latin name "Dionysius." This Latin name has Greek roots and means "follower of Dionysus," the god of wine and vegetation in Greek mythology.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Dennis can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Denise" and "Denes." This suggests that the name was already in use during the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century.
The surname Dennis was particularly prevalent in counties such as Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, and Oxfordshire in England. It is thought that the name may have been associated with certain place names, such as the village of Denham in Buckinghamshire, which was historically spelled as "Denham" or "Deneham."
Among the notable historical figures bearing the surname Dennis is Sir Walter Dennis (c. 1555-1634), an English courtier and politician who served as a Member of Parliament and as a gentleman of the Privy Chamber to King James I.
Another prominent individual with the Dennis surname was John Dennis (1658-1734), an English critic and playwright who was known for his literary criticism and his play "Liberty Asserted" (1704).
In the realm of science, Francis Dennis (1612-1698) was an English physician and writer who published several works on medicine and natural philosophy.
The name also has a connection to the American Revolutionary War, with John Dennis (1755-1836), an American soldier who fought in the Continental Army and later served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Lastly, a more recent figure is Carl Dennis (born 1939), an American poet and former poet laureate of the state of New York, known for his collections such as "Practical Gods" and "Night School."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dennis
Among Census respondents with the surname Dennis, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.3%. The next largest groups are Black (27.9%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Dennis 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 Dennis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.3% · 46,361
- Black or African American27.9% · 20,756
- Two or more races4.4% · 3,300
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 2,882
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 564
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 516
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dennis
Dennis 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
#409
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 78,482
+3,698 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 26.61
Rank movement Down 25 places
2020
#438
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 74,379
-4,103 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 24.88
Rank movement Down 29 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #384 | 74,784 | 27.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #409 | 78,482 | 26.61 | +3,698 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 25 places |
| 2020 | #438 | 74,379 | 24.88 | -4,103 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 29 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 Dennis 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 | #409 | #438 | -7.1% |
| Count | 78,482 | 74,379 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 26.61 | 24.88 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dennis bearers went from 78,482 to 74,379 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 29 positions in the national ranking, going from #409 to #438.
FAQ
Dennis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dennis?
Name Census estimates that about 85,292 living Americans carry the surname Dennis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,019 residents.
How common is Dennis?
Dennis ranks #438 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 24.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 25 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 74,379 people with the surname Dennis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (85,292), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 24.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 24.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 25 of them to have the surname Dennis.
Has Dennis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dennis went from 78,482 recorded bearers to 74,379. That is a decrease of 4,103 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #409 to #438.
What does the Census say about the background of Dennis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dennis, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.3%. The next largest groups are Black (27.9%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Dennis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.3% (46,361 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dennis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.3%), Black (27.9%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Dennis (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 Dennis mean?
An English patronymic surname meaning "son of Dennis," derived from the French name Denis, meaning "follower of Dionysus." 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 Dennis (24.88 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 Dennis?
You can see how common the surname Dennis is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.