Denise
The French feminine form of Denis, which descends from the Latin Dionysius, a name meaning dedicated to the Greek god Dionysos.
Denise in 2025
Denise was given to 123 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 3,081st most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 26,954 babies born.
The history of Denise
Denise reached its highest point in 1961, when 15,422 babies were given the name, ranking 59th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 53rd, in 1955.
Across the 144 years of records since 1882, 374,789 babies have been named Denise. Half of them were born before 1963, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Baby Boomers.
Denise by decade
| Decade | Babies named Denise | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 12 | 1,755 |
| 1890s | 6 | 2,204 |
| 1900s | 58 | 2,403 |
| 1910s | 203 | 2,430 |
| 1920s | 633 | 1,234 |
| 1930s | 1,651 | 735 |
| 1940s | 10,122 | 268 |
| 1950s | 124,104 | 53 |
| 1960s | 129,281 | 56 |
| 1970s | 56,111 | 75 |
| 1980s | 25,318 | 192 |
| 1990s | 13,838 | 313 |
| 2000s | 9,085 | 580 |
| 2010s | 3,319 | 925 |
| 2020s | 1,048 | 1,627 |
Where Denise is heading
Denise has fallen 54% over the past decade, from 270 babies in 2015 to 123 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1961 peak — Denise is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Denise
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Denise.