Dennis
Came into medieval English through French from the Latin Dionysius, a name meaning devoted to Dionysos, the Greek god of wine.
Dennis in 2025
Dennis was given to 381 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 1,424th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 8,702 babies born.
The history of Dennis
Dennis reached its highest point in 1952, when 24,605 babies were given the name, ranking 29th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 26th, in 1947.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 623,692 babies have been named Dennis. Half of them were born before 1954, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Baby Boomers.
Dennis by decade
| Decade | Babies named Dennis | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,107 | 233 |
| 1890s | 919 | 384 |
| 1900s | 988 | 444 |
| 1910s | 4,203 | 452 |
| 1920s | 8,241 | 348 |
| 1930s | 26,507 | 67 |
| 1940s | 162,574 | 26 |
| 1950s | 204,785 | 28 |
| 1960s | 95,405 | 65 |
| 1970s | 50,912 | 95 |
| 1980s | 30,712 | 164 |
| 1990s | 18,270 | 255 |
| 2000s | 10,621 | 482 |
| 2010s | 6,018 | 817 |
| 2020s | 2,430 | 1,299 |
Where Dennis is heading
Dennis has fallen 36% over the past decade, from 592 babies in 2015 to 381 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1952 peak — Dennis is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Dennis
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Dennis.