2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Denniss
A surname derived from the name Dennis, itself coming from the Greek Dionysios meaning "follower of Dionysus" (the god of wine).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Denniss. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Denniss 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 Denniss with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Denniss in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Denniss, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.9%) and Black (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Denniss
The surname Denniss has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the personal name Dennis, which itself is a variant of the Latin name Dionysius. This name was originally brought to England by the Normans after their conquest in 1066.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Denniss can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from the year 1191, where a certain Radulphus Denys is mentioned. These Pipe Rolls were financial records maintained by the English Exchequer. This early spelling variation reflects the fluid nature of surnames during that time.
In the 13th century, the surname appears in various forms such as Deneys, Denys, and Dennys in various county records across southern England. These early records suggest that the name was particularly prevalent in areas like Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset.
The Denniss surname is not recorded in the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, indicating that its widespread usage likely emerged in the centuries following the Norman Conquest. However, its Norman-French roots are evident in its connection to the name Dionysius.
One notable bearer of the Denniss surname was Sir Walter Dennys (c.1480-1550), a Member of Parliament and prominent figure in the court of King Henry VIII. Another was John Denys (1615-1688), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
Other historical figures with this surname include Sir William Denys (c.1470-1533), a wealthy landowner and sheriff of Gloucestershire, and Thomas Denys (c.1605-1638), an English explorer and colonist who established the first permanent English settlement in Newfoundland.
In the realm of literature, John Dennys (1615-1689) was an English poet and translator known for his work "The Secrets of Angling," which was one of the earliest works on the subject of fishing published in English.
While the Denniss surname has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in England, with a strong connection to the Norman-French name Dionysius and its Latin roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Denniss
Among Census respondents with the surname Denniss, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.9%) and Black (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Denniss 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 Denniss surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 91
- Two or more races6.9% · 7
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Denniss
Denniss 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-17 bearers (-13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 26,110 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-4 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 363 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.9%) | Down 26,110 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 363 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 Denniss 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 | #154,907 | #155,270 | -0.2% |
| Count | 105 | 101 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Denniss bearers went from 105 to 101 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 363 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #155,270.
FAQ
Denniss surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Denniss?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Denniss. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Denniss?
Denniss ranks #155,270 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 101 people with the surname Denniss. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), 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 Denniss.
Has Denniss become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Denniss went from 105 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #154,907 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Denniss?
Among Census respondents with the surname Denniss, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.9%) and Black (2.0%). 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 Denniss in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Denniss appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Two or More Races (6.9%), Black (2.0%). 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 Denniss (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 Denniss mean?
A surname derived from the name Dennis, itself coming from the Greek Dionysios meaning "follower of Dionysus" (the god of wine). 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 Denniss (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 share the surname Denniss?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.