2000
#1,899
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,366
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.44
Uncommon Last name
Denny
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Duinnín, meaning "descendant of Duinnín," a diminutive of Donn, meaning "brown-haired."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,696 Americans carry the last name Denny. That puts it at #2,168 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,333 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Denny 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 Denny with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 18,333
Census rank
#2,168
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,304 bearers of the surname Denny in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2168th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Denny, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Denny
The surname Denny is of English origin, derived from the Middle English word "dene" meaning "valley" or "hollow." It is believed to have originated in the 12th century as a topographic name, referring to people who lived in a valley or near a dell.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Denny can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de la Dene." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or owned a particular valley or dell.
Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, such as Denny, Denney, and Dennie. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling during the medieval period.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname Denny was Sir Edward Denny (1547-1600), an English courtier and diplomat during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He served as her ambassador to France and was granted lands in County Kerry, Ireland.
Another prominent individual with the surname Denny was Sir Anthony Denny (c. 1501-1549), a close friend and confidant of King Henry VIII. He held influential positions at the court and was involved in various political and religious affairs during the English Reformation.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Denny surname can be found in the 17th century. Arthur Denny (1621-1686) was an English settler who arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1630s and later became a prominent landowner and public figure in the colony.
The name Denny is also linked to several place names, such as Denny Crookdake in Cumbria, England, and Denny Cistercian Nunnery in Cambridgeshire, England, both of which likely derived their names from the topographic features associated with the surname.
Another notable figure with the Denny surname was Harmar Denny (1794-1838), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania in the 1830s.
Overall, the surname Denny has a rich history rooted in the English language and topography, with references dating back to the 12th century and various notable individuals bearing the name throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Denny
Among Census respondents with the surname Denny, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Denny 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 Denny surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.0% · 12,879
- Black or African American7.4% · 1,202
- Two or more races4.7% · 759
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.5% · 734
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 582
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 148
Timeline
Historical Census data for Denny
Denny 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
#2,062
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,503
+137 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 5.93
Rank movement Down 163 places
2020
#2,168
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,304
-1,199 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 5.45
Rank movement Down 106 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,899 | 17,366 | 6.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,062 | 17,503 | 5.93 | +137 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 163 places |
| 2020 | #2,168 | 16,304 | 5.45 | -1,199 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 106 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 Denny 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 | #2,062 | #2,168 | -5.1% |
| Count | 17,503 | 16,304 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 5.93 | 5.45 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Denny bearers went from 17,503 to 16,304 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 106 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,062 to #2,168.
FAQ
Denny surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Denny?
Name Census estimates that about 18,696 living Americans carry the surname Denny. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,333 residents.
How common is Denny?
Denny ranks #2,168 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.45 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 16,304 people with the surname Denny. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,696), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.45 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 Denny.
Has Denny become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Denny went from 17,503 recorded bearers to 16,304. That is a decrease of 1,199 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,062 to #2,168.
What does the Census say about the background of Denny?
Among Census respondents with the surname Denny, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Denny in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.0% (12,879 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Denny appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.0%), Black (7.4%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Denny (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 Denny mean?
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Duinnín, meaning "descendant of Duinnín," a diminutive of Donn, meaning "brown-haired." 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 Denny (5.45 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 Denny?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.