2000
#2,348
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.24
Uncommon Last name
Dennison
An English surname derived from "Dennis's son," referring to a descendant of someone named Dennis.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,844 Americans carry the last name Dennison. That puts it at #2,548 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,633 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dennison 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 Dennison with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,633
Census rank
#2,548
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,817 bearers of the surname Dennison in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2548th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dennison, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dennison
The surname Dennison has its origins in England, with roots tracing back to the 12th century. It is believed to be a patronymic name derived from the personal name Dennis, which itself stems from the French name Denis or the Latin Dionysius. The name may have originated in areas like Derbyshire or Yorkshire, where historical records show early instances of the name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Dennison can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1199, which mention a "William Denisun." The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 also contain references to individuals with the surname Dennison, indicating its presence in various parts of England during the medieval period.
The name may have initially been associated with individuals who were the sons of someone named Dennis, with the suffix "-son" denoting this familial connection. Over time, the spelling evolved from variations like Denison, Denyson, and Dennysun to the more modern form of Dennison.
In the 14th century, records show individuals with the surname Dennison residing in places like Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 mention a "Johannes Denysoun" in Nottinghamshire, while the Poll Tax Returns of 1379 list a "Robertus Denyson" in Lincolnshire.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Dennison. One example is John Dennison (c. 1615-1682), an English Puritan clergyman and writer who served as a minister in New England during the 17th century. Another is David Dennison (1615-1663), an English soldier and politician who fought for the Parliamentarians during the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, Robert Dennison (1745-1820) was a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars. William Dennison (1815-1882) was an American politician who served as the 24th Governor of Ohio from 1860 to 1862, playing a significant role during the Civil War era.
Lastly, Lyle Denniston (1923-2022) was an American journalist and legal analyst who covered the Supreme Court of the United States for over six decades, gaining recognition as one of the nation's preeminent experts on the Court's workings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dennison
Among Census respondents with the surname Dennison, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Dennison 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 Dennison surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.6% · 11,130
- Black or African American7.6% · 1,057
- Two or more races4.1% · 564
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 478
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.4% · 471
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 117
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dennison
Dennison 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
#2,465
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,629
+497 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 4.96
Rank movement Down 117 places
2020
#2,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,817
-812 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 4.62
Rank movement Down 83 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,348 | 14,132 | 5.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,465 | 14,629 | 4.96 | +497 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 117 places |
| 2020 | #2,548 | 13,817 | 4.62 | -812 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 83 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 Dennison 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 | #2,465 | #2,548 | -3.4% |
| Count | 14,629 | 13,817 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 4.96 | 4.62 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dennison bearers went from 14,629 to 13,817 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 83 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,465 to #2,548.
FAQ
Dennison surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dennison?
Name Census estimates that about 15,844 living Americans carry the surname Dennison. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,633 residents.
How common is Dennison?
Dennison ranks #2,548 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,817 people with the surname Dennison. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,844), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Dennison.
Has Dennison become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dennison went from 14,629 recorded bearers to 13,817. That is a decrease of 812 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,465 to #2,548.
What does the Census say about the background of Dennison?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dennison, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Dennison in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.6% (11,130 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dennison appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.6%), Black (7.6%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Dennison (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 Dennison mean?
An English surname derived from "Dennis's son," referring to a descendant of someone named Dennis. 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 Dennison (4.62 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 surname Dennison?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.